The mysterious death of a policeman attached to the Kalekkadu Armed Reserve camp at Palakkad became a controversy Saturday after his wife alleged that he was facing severe caste discrimination from the force.
Kumar, a policeman belonging to the Scheduled Tribe community and a native of Attappadi, was found dead on a railway track near Lakkidi two days ago.
Police have registered a case of unnatural death.
"Kumar was mentally tortured by his seniors because he belonged to the lower caste," his wife Sajini told the media.
However, police said the man had a series of personal issues and might have committed suicide because of that.
"The probe is going on. In the preliminary investigation, we came to know that he had multiple problems including some family issues.
There was some issue with regard to the allotment of quarters in the AR camp," a senior Palakkad district police official told PTI.
On the other hand, Sajitha said "He was regularly insulted in the camp as he belongs to the Adivasi community. He had said that he was mentally tortured and forced to work overtime."
Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala lashed out at the Home department and said the "suicide" of the policeman was a shame on Kerala's culture-rich society.
"The department must take action against those officials who forced the policeman to commit suicide," Chennithala said in a release.
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