Vengaivayal case: CB-CID expedites probe, witnesses interrogated

CHENNAI: The CB-CID police on Tuesday expedited the probe into the Vengaivayal overhead tank incident at Vengaivayal and Iraiyur villages in Pudukottai district, according to a Daily Thanthi report.

According to reports, barricades have been erected outside the town and the police are keeping a close watch so that no outsiders can enter. An investigation is being conducted and the witnesses are being probed on the spot, including the witnesses, who were present during the incident, the operator of the overhead tank, and others suspected by the CB-CID police, the reports added.

Earlier, the CB-CID police had obtained statements from 147 witnesses after questioning in connection with this case and also allegedly found human feces to be from a woman and two men after testing the water in the tank. On April 25, reports claimed that as many as eight people out of the eleven in connection with the incident refused to give blood samples. According to sources, the people said, “They are being guilt-tripped and would consult their lawyers before giving out samples.”

The Vengaivayal incident of human excreta found dumped in the overhead water tank that supplies potable water to residents of Scheduled Caste families in Vengaivayal village in the district came to light in late December last year, was initially probed by the Pudukottai district police and subsequently transferred to the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID) on January 14 this year by the Director-General of Police (DGP) C Sylendra Babu and the investigation has been going on for the last four months.

Earlier, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said that the State government has issued an order to extend all the support for the one-man commission headed by Retired Judge Sathyanarayanan by the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on the incident, who are scheduled to begin their probe on May 6.