CHICAGO: The mother of a Southern Illinois University student who was found dead in February has filed a lawsuit against the city of Carbondale and a man she claims gave her son a ride before he disappeared.
Lovely Varughese of Morton Grove filed the suit on August 7 in Jackson County Circuit Court against that driver, as well as the city of Carbondale and its police chief, Jody O’Guinn.
Her son, 19-year-old Niles West graduate Pravin Varughese, went missing Feb. 12 after leaving a party in Carbondale. Police initially said Pravin Varughese, 19, may have been on drugs when he got lost after a party and froze to death – Hypothermia.
However, an independent autopsy and toxicology examination, performed on behalf of the Varughese family by Dr Ben Margolis, concluded that Pravin’s blood and vitreous fluid were negative for drugs or alcohol at the time of his death. But despite having their unwavering belief confirmed, the Varughese family still do not have answers to the most troubling questions of what happened to Pravin, and why.
“The family and community still believe it is a murder, even though the police investigation is going in the other direction,” said Gladson Varughese.
According to police reports, the trooper who spoke to the driver on the road that night says the driver told him he offered a man a ride and asked for gas money but the man punched him and ran into the woods.
Talking to the ethnic Indian media at Meadows club in Rolling Meadows, Varughese’s mother, Lovely, said “Every day is a hard day. I wake up in the morning, and I think it’s all a dream.”
Members of Lovely’s Indian community stood together and created an investigative committee to assist with bringing justice for the family. The committee was organized by co-conveners, Gladson Varughese and Mariamma Pillai
“The incident of Pravin brought the Indian community together for a great cause. ” said co-convener, Gladson Varughese. “More than 1000 people attended our first meeting to express concerns to Lt. Governor Sheila Simon, who was also in attendance. Now we have over 50,000 signatures in support of a diligent investigation.”
With over 50,000 petitions and support coming from all across the country, the community’s involvement is greatly assisting. “As the citizens of this country, we all have human rights,” says Mariamm Pillai, co-convener of the investigative committee. “As an Indian community, we strongly feel our human rights are violated and we will go at any length to find the truth.”
The Varughese family did not believe nor do believe even now that Pravin was either on drug or had an accidental death. They want answers to many an unanswered question. Initially they had posted a huge reward to get information surrounding the death of their son.
Madhu Patel
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