Kerala State Human Rights Commission intervenes in case of wrongful arrest of man for possession of ‘deer meat’

The Kerala State Human Rights Commission has taken up a suo motu case after it was revealed that a man was wrongly jailed for 39 days on charges of possessing deer meat, which forensic tests later confirmed to be beef.

In yet another case of mistaken identity by authorities, Sujesh Kannan, a native of Chalakudy, was arrested by the Forest department officials on October 1 last year, accused of selling wild meat (believed to be sambar deer). However, the forensic report later clarified that the meat was in fact beef, and not from any wild animal.

The commission member V. Geetha intervened after media reports brought the case to light. The Chalakudy Divisional Forest Officer has been directed to conduct an inquiry and submit a report within 15 days.

Legal battle

Sujesh, who was working as a head-load worker at the time of arrest, was remanded to Irinjalakuda sub-jail. After a prolonged legal battle, he was finally granted bail by the Kerala High Court. The incident has since upended his life.

“The meat I gave to someone else was just beef. But they arrested me like a criminal. I was seen as an offender by society. My wife left me while I was in jail. No one wants to give me a job. I now drive an auto-rickshaw, but have to visit the police station every Saturday to sign in. That means I can’t even work full days,” Sujesh said.

Mental trauma

He now lives with his two children and elderly parents. “I was pushed to the brink. At one point, I even thought of ending my life,” he added, recounting the mental trauma he endured. Forced to seek psychological help, Sujesh said the false case has shattered his livelihood and image.

The Commission has stated it will consider further action after reviewing the official report.

Framed in a mistaken synthetic drug case, a beauty parlour owner Sheela Sunny from Chalakudy spent 72 in jail, before the High Court granted her bail. A forensic lab report later revealed that there were no traces of drugs on the seized stamps, and Ms. Sheela was acquitted of all charges. It may be coincidence that both the victims are from Chalakudy.