Chennai:
For the first time, the Tamil Nadu Police has officially said that the death of Ilavarasan, a Dalit man who was found dead in Dharmapuri district last month, was a case of suicide and not murder.
In the status report to the Madras High Court, filed by District Superintendent of Police Asra Garg, the police have provided a list of evidences.
The police claim the hand writing on the suicide note recovered a few days after Ilavarasan was found dead was his according to the forensic experts who examined it.
A report by forensic experts says the recorded conversations between Ilavarasan and his wife Divya on his phone too indicate suicidal tendencies. The report says Ilavarasan told Divya that he would commit suicide if she did not return to him.
The report also says that statements deposed by his close friends to a Magistrate also confirm that he told them about his plans to commit suicide from the alleged suicide spot.
Police say Ilavarasan was hit by Kurla Express at 1:20 pm and his watch too remained stuck exactly at the same time. Though the train drivers did not see anyone jumping in front of the track, they do not rule out the possibility of any person being hit by the side of the train, the report says.
Ilavarasan's marriage to Divya, a woman from the higher Vanniyar community, led to her father's suicide last year. This had triggered riots against Dalits. Around 250 Dalit homes were set on fire. Ilavarasan was found dead a day after his wife refused to return to him citing continuing clashes between both communities and memories of her father. Two autopsies were conducted on his body after his family suspected foul play.
The Tamil Nadu government too has appointed a one man commission to probe his death.