The assault, which reportedly occurred on 14 January, became public after CCTV footage of the incident went viral on social media.
Published Jul 03, 2025 | 12:14 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 03, 2025 | 12:14 PM
The assault, which reportedly occurred on 14 January, became public after CCTV footage of the incident went viral.
Synopsis: The incident, which came close on the heels of the custodial death of a security guard attached to the Badrakaliamman Temple in Sivaganga’s Madapuram, 24 hours after the police had picked him up on 27 June, created an uproar over police atrocity.
Five police officers, including an inspector, were transferred after a man was allegedly assaulted inside the Devadhanapatti police station in Tamil Nadu’s Theni.
The assault, which reportedly occurred on 14 January, became public after CCTV footage of the incident went viral. The man, identified as Ramesh, an auto-rickshaw driver from South Street, Devadhanapatti, was at the police station as part of a custodial inquiry.
The incident, which came close on the heels of the custodial death of a security guard attached to the Badrakaliamman Temple in Sivaganga’s Madapuram, 24 hours after the police had picked him up on 27 June, created an uproar over police atrocity. A video of the incident had surfaced on 1 July.
The alleged torture of Ramesh sparked a huge outcry in Tamil Nadu. Following the incident, Theni Superintendent of Police Sivaprasad ordered an internal inquiry led by an Additional Deputy Superintendent of Police (ADSP). Devadhanapatti Inspector Abuthahir and four other police personnel have been transferred to the Armed Reserve Unit.
Meanwhile, the Madras High Court on Wednesday, 3 July, initiated a judicial inquiry into the death of 29-year-old security guard Ajithkumar, who died in police custody just a day after being detained in connection with a theft case.
A division bench of Justice SM Subramaniam and Justice AD Maria Clete directed Additional District Judge S John Sundarlal Suresh to probe the incident and file a report by 8 July.
The incident took place at the well-known Madapuram Bhadrakali Amman temple. The victim, Ajith Kumar, was taken into custody on Friday, 27 June, in connection with a reported theft. He allegedly 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 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. Five of the suspended officers were later arrested.
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.
