CHENNAI: A police inspector was suspended on Sunday in Chennai after a 42-year-old man immolated himself after allegedly being assaulted by the cop over a civil dispute.
The inspector G Bensam, serving in Puzhal police station, was allegedly favouring the house owner in a dispute over rent between the deceased and the landlord, who is also a local political functionary.
The deceased Srinivasan, 42, who was working as a painter and residing at Vinayagapuram, is said to have not paid the house rents for the last few months due to the lockdown.
The landlord Rajendran had complained to the police and it is said that inspector Bensam assaulted Srinivasan to threaten him to pay the rent on Saturday.
Subsequently, around 11 pm on Saturday, Srinivasan allegedly set himself on fire and died in a hospital on Sunday.
In a video, shot by Srinivasan’s brother Ganesan, Srinivasan, from his hospital bed, is seen saying that he was assaulted around 7 pm by the police inspector.
"The landlord brought the police inspector to my house and they both threatened me to pay the rent after which the inspector attacked me,” Srinivasan is seen saying in the video.
The video was interrupted by a police personnel who tried to chase Ganesan out of the hospital room.
Bensam did not attend phone calls or reply to texts for his comment.
A senior police officer, who confirmed that Bensam has been placed under suspension, said the action was taken since he got involved in a civil dispute.
However, the senior police officer denied that Srinivasan was assaulted. He said, "On the request of the landlord, the police team went to his house and Srinivasan was drunk. So, police asked him to come to the police station on Sunday morning. They did not beat him. We suspended Bensam on the basis that he intervened in a civil dispute without following proper procedure."
Srinivasan was taken to Kilpauk Medical College Hospital with about 90 per cent burns and he
succumbed to injuries on Sunday afternoon.
Police also alleged that the neighbours had already lodged a complaint against Srinivasan eight
months ago for nuisance, but he was booked under minor sections and let off with a warning.
However, this is not the first time the police inspector G Bensam is caught for trouble. In July, 2018, Bensam was placed under suspension for showing obscene gestures and flashing his private parts to a woman through a whatsapp video call when he was the inspector of Karungal police station in Kanyakumari.
(Assistance for those having suicidal thoughts is available on Tamil Nadu’s health helpline 104
and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050)