(Commonwealth_India) Five policemen have been arrested in connection with the custodial death of a 29-year-old temple security guard, Ajith Kumar, in Tamil Nadu’s Sivaganga district. The arrests were made late on Monday night, following the release of the post-mortem report, which revealed that Kumar had suffered multiple injuries, including contusions to his head and chest. A senior police officer, speaking anonymously, confirmed that the post-mortem was videographed in line with the Madras High Court’s directives in custodial death cases.
The Tamil Nadu government has declared the circumstances as homicide, quoting the post-mortem results. Initially, six policemen were suspended in connection with Kumar’s death. The incident has led to administrative changes as well, with Sivaganga district’s superintendent of police, Ashish Rawat, placed on compulsory leave. He is being replaced by G. Chandeesh, the SP of Ramanathapuram.
Kumar was taken into custody on June 27 after a female reported that her gold jewellery was missing from her bag. She claimed she had handed her car keys to Kumar to park her vehicle near the Madapuram Bhadrakali Amman temple. According to Kumar’s brother, the police assaulted both of them during custody. On June 29, after Kumar complained of uneasiness, a hospital pronounced him dead.
In response to public outrage and protests from Kumar’s family, the state government has ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident. The opposition has also condemned the ruling DMK government. They stated that the killing is the 24th custodial death since the DMK came to power in 2021.
Prior custodial deaths of Jeyaraj-Bennix that were allegedly linked to lockdown violations in Tamil Nadu have been compared in the media.
The AIADMK has moved the Madras High Court, requesting it to take up the issue of custodial deaths during the current administration’s tenure. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami criticized Chief Minister MK Stalin, accusing him of failing to manage a police force that is directly under his control. He requested a complete examination led by a district judge, legal action against those involved, and compensation for the victim’s family.
In reply, Chief Minister Stalin repeated that police officers must treat all accusers with self-respect and respond promptly.
