A visibly shaken Monika Sethia, wife of environmental activist Piyush Manush, who was allegedly assaulted in the prison, demanded immediate suspension of two top jail officials in Salem and feared that the video evidence of Piyush’s assault would be erased by them.
“It is important that the evidence is not tampered with. I fear that it might happen because the inquiry has taken 15 days and they haven’t met all jail officials. The DIG didn’t do a thorough job and Piyush’s statement was not recorded,” said Monika Sethia here at Chennai Press Club on Monday.
The manner in which the probe was being carried out created doubts about transparency of the inquiry. She demanded immediate suspension of jail SP Senthil Kumar and warden Thirunavukarasu.
“Only a fair inquiry will reveal the entire truth,” she noted.
Nithyanand Jayaraman, an environmental activist, said the outcome of this case will decide the future of activism. “I hope the government understands the seriousness of the allegations,” he said, adding that it might either deter people from becoming activists or inspire some more to fight for a cause.
