Daijiworld Media Network – Puttur

Puttur, Oct 29: A complaint has been lodged at the Uppinangady police station demanding a thorough investigation into the suspicious death of a labourer from Karaya village, who was taken from Uppinangady to Shivamogga to work at plucking coconuts.

The deceased has been identified as Devadas (47), son of Narayana Poojary and a resident of Karinja Baitaru House in Karaya village of Beltangady taluk. He was allegedly taken from Uppinangady on October 23 by Syed Hasan, reportedly a resident of Ullal, on the pretext of engaging him in coconut-plucking work.

Devadas reportedly died under suspicious circumstances on October 27. His wife, Padmalatha, has lodged a complaint alleging that the circumstances surrounding his death have raised several suspicions. According to the complaint, the family was not informed about his death. Instead, they were allegedly falsely told that he was healthy and receiving treatment at a hospital. When questioned about the matter, Syed Hasan reportedly claimed that he had made the necessary arrangements with the police department and the hospital, further raising suspicions about the case.

Padmalatha suspects that her husband may have been made to work despite falling ill and denied adequate rest, which could have led to his death. She has also expressed suspicion that he may have been subjected to some other form of harassment or abuse that resulted in his death. She has demanded a proper investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding his death.

Complaint initially not accepted

As soon as she learnt about her husband's suspicious death, Padmalatha reportedly visited the Uppinangady police station on the night of October 23 to lodge a complaint against the person who had taken him away for daily-wage work. However, the police allegedly refused to accept the complaint, insisting that since her husband had died in Shivamogga, she should go there and lodge the complaint.

Despite her clarification that her husband had been taken from Uppinangady, the police allegedly refused to accept the complaint. The family's allegation is that this conduct disregarded the police department's directive that complaints should be accepted irrespective of where they are lodged.

The deceased's relatives stated that former Puttur MLA Sanjeeva Matandoor subsequently intervened in the matter and contacted senior police officials. Following his intervention, the Uppinangady police agreed to receive the complaint on Wednesday.