Cauvery Basin2

Tamil Research Institution (TRI)
4.2.9.3. if witnesses to the encounter had mobile phones, have their call records
analysed to establish if indeed they were in the area when it took place;
4.2.10. 1. Statements of witnesses if there were witnesses to the incident, or others
who had information germane to it, ensure that they have been identified, offered
security if needed, and had their statements recorded, in writing and on videotape;
4.2.11.1.Communication records if the families or friends claim that the victims
were abducted before being killed, and that they had sent complaints through
telegrams, email, letters or in any other form to officers whom they name, record their
testimony and immediately examine the records in the concerned offices to establish
if these had indeed been sent or received, and if so, when and on what date and
what actions were taken or not initiated on their basis;
4.2.12.1. Meteorological records that the rainfall, if any, for the day in the area,
the phase of the moon and the time when it rose and set that night, and the time
when the sun rose are all recorded, so that visibility and conditions underfoot are
established and can be matched against reports from the police party.
5.0. THE IDENTIFICATION OF VICTIMS
5.1. An analysis of how and when the victims were identified and the next of kin informed is
often of crucial importance in establishing the truth. Memories fade, and for the next of kin
the trauma makes recalling events in sequence and detail difficult and painful if questions
are put to them well after the event. Very often, though, the next of kin report to magisterial
enquiries that they were informed about the deaths by the police, whereas the police claim
that the bodies had been identified by relatives, who had approached them after seeing or
hearing reports on the media.
5.2. If the sequence of events shows that the police had informed the next of kin, or had
identified the bodies, without any means of identification, it would mean that they knew who
the men were before they were killed. In turn that would point to the likelihood of an
abduction and subsequent extra-judicial execution.
5.3. At the outset, therefore, the investigators will:
5.3.1. check when the next of kin were informed, according to the police, and vet this
against statements recorded from the families;
5.3.2. examine if the victims were all carrying documents from which not only they but their
families could be identified and contacted ;
5.3.2. assess if documents like diaries, from which the police often claim to have identified
victims, could plausibly have been carried in the clothes found on the deceased, and
if they were damaged, stained, or pristine;
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