Media Release
Mangalore, Apr 22: It is a month since the mutilated body of Rohit Radhakrishnan (23) was found near Tannir Bavi beach in Mangalore. After a brief and hasty preliminary investigation Panambur police had written it off as a freak accident. Since the field and circumstantial evidences did not justify the accident theory, parents, relatives and media cried foul and demanded a free and fair enquiry by competent authorities.
After a long hue and cry, Panambur police registered a case on IPC 302 (murder) and started investigation. But till today, no progress has been reported from the police side.
Father of Rohit, advocate M S Radhakrishnan has filed a writ petition with the high court of Karnataka, seeking postmortem report, field mahassar, vehicle mahassar, videos and photographs of the scene and the postmortem conducted. The writ is awaiting the hearing by the court. Earlier, repeated requests, direct and through the lawyer, failed to secure the same from the police.
There were many procedural lapses from the police on handling the situation, preserving the murder scene, informing the relatives, conducting autopsy etc, say Rohit's family members.
"When the same police who declared it as an accident is investigating the murder angle, how anyone can expect justice? Police are also not taking any initiative to properly question Rohit's friends Arjun Panicker and Gopi Krishnan, who were there with Rohit during his last moments. Why?" they question. "Why are the police withholding the postmortem report even after a month? What prevents them from releasing the same?"
Rohit's parents, aged grandmother, his friends, relatives, society and the media are praying for a positive move from the authorities and action to catch the real culprits. Rohit’s parents are still in deep distress and not able to go back to their routine life.