The footage shows two policemen assaulting a young man believed to be Ajith. The video appears to have been shot through a window from inside a room during the time of the alleged assault.
Published Jul 01, 2025 | 1:44 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 01, 2025 | 1:44 PM
Visuals from the viral video that shows the alleged assault by police officers.
Synopsis: A video showing police officers allegedly assaulting a man who later died in custody in Sivaganga district, near the premises of the Badrakaliyamman temple in Thiruppuvanam, has surfaced online, sparking public outrage.
As public outrage is growing in Tamil Nadu over the alleged custodial death of a 27-year-old man in the Sivaganga district, a video surfaced on Tuesday, 1 July, showing police officers allegedly assaulting him near the premises of the Badrakali Amman temple in Thiruppuvanam.
The officers who were involved in the assault of the victim, Ajith Kumar, belong to the Manamadurai Crime Investigation Division and have already been arrested.
Ajith, a temporary contract watchman at the Badrakaliyamman temple in Thiruppuvanam, was reportedly picked up by Thiruppuvanam police on 27 June in connection with a theft case in which he was a suspect. Two days later, on 29 June, his death was reported.
Meanwhile, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court summoned several key officials to appear before it at 3 pm on Tuesday. Those summoned include the Sivaganga Superintendent of Police, Manamadurai Deputy Superintendent of Police, Thiruppuvanam Inspector, the jurisdictional magistrate, the Assistant Commissioner of the HR&CE Department, and the eyewitness who recorded the assault video.
This incident has drawn widespread condemnation across Tamil Nadu, being seen as yet another case of custodial torture and death.
Ajith’s family, residents, and human rights activists across the state have demanded justice and accountability. Human rights defender Henri Tiphagne and several lawyers filed a case in the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court alleging custodial death.
As the court inquiry is ongoing, the emergence of the video has sparked further outrage.
According to reports, a lawyer representing the victim has submitted this video as evidence in court. The footage shows two policemen assaulting a young man believed to be Ajith. The video appears to have been shot through a window from inside a room during the time of the alleged assault.
Legal sources say this video has now become a crucial piece of evidence in the case.
Five of the six police personnel suspended in connection with the alleged custodial death have been arrested so far.
The incident took place at the well-known Madapuram Bhadrakali Amman temple. Ajith is alleged to have died as a result of custodial torture during interrogation.
Following the release of the post-mortem report, the case has been reclassified as murder under Section 196(2)(a) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). FIR No. 303/2025 has been registered at the Thiruppuvanam police station.
Reports indicate that the autopsy, conducted at Madurai Rajaji Government Hospital, recorded 18 serious injuries on Ajith Kumar’s body. The cause of death was listed as a seizure.
The incident has triggered widespread protests from residents, human rights groups, and social activists, who laid siege to the Thiruppuvanam police station on Saturday, demanding justice.
The six officers from the Crime Branch – Sub-Inspectors Raja, Sangaramanickam, Ramachandran, Prabhu, Anand, and Head Constable Kannan – were initially suspended pending inquiry, on the orders of Sivaganga Superintendent of Police Ashish Rawat.
Tamil Nadu Director General of Police Shankar Jiwal has since transferred the case to the Crime Branch–CID (CBCID) for a detailed and impartial investigation.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
