TENKASI/THANJAVUR: Two accused persons were shot in their legs by police in Thoothukudi and Tiruvarur districts in the past two days. With this, the Tamil Nadu police have opened fire at 11 accused persons, hitting them in the leg, in the state this year. DGP C Sylendra Babu claimed the rise in shootings was due to police making more arrests in the past two months after the court questioned the delay in the execution of arrest warrants.
On Sunday, a police team opened fire at Jayakumar of Thoothukudi, an accused in the murder of advocate Muthukumar on February 22. Police claimed that when a team went to arrest him in Thattaparai, Jayakumar attacked two police personnel with a sickle and attempted to flee. It was then that the police personnel opened fire and shot him in his leg, police said. Jayakumar, injured sub-inspector Rajaprabhu and constable Sundalaimani were admitted to Thoothukudi government medical college hospital for treatment. Rajaprabhu was part of the police team that killed history sheeter Duraimurugan in an encounter in the Thoothukudi district in October 2021.
On Saturday, Manalmedu inspector Rajesh from Mayiladuthurai, leading a special team, opened fire with his service pistol and shot R Praveen (25) of Tiruvarur in the leg after he allegedly attacked special sub-inspector Elango with a machete. Praveen is an accused in the murder of R Rajkumar (35) of the same district. Police were tipped off that Praveen was hiding in Manora and the team went there to apprehend him. Police said the team was trying to get Praveen into the jeep when he attacked Elango.
Sylendra Babu defended the police personnel stating the law allows them to use their guns when they are under attack. “The TN police use the guns based on the circumstances... If they are at risk of being killed by the accused, they have to use a gun. We cannot tell the police personnel not to shoot such persons. The accused, who was shot in Thanjavur, had already assaulted a deputy superintendent of police in Tiruvarur,” he told TNIE.
However, S Balamurugan, national secretary of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties said police firing on accused persons is a mockery of the law. “It is a human rights violation. People are silent about it as the persons who are shot are rowdies. But police can tomorrow make a person a rowdy after shooting him in the leg and disabling him. The judicial officer before whom the accused are remanded should question the police,” he said.
Recalling how a few years ago, the police broke the arms and legs of accused persons and claimed they’d slipped in the bathroom, he said then a father and son were killed by Sathankulam police. “Chief Minister M K Stalin is himself a victim of custodial torture. He should not allow the police to normalise custodial torture in his regime,” he said.
Attempt to escape?
On January 14, Kancheepuram police opened fire at two accused persons, wounding them on their legs when the duo allegedly attacked the police and attempted to escape near Sriperumbudur. In February alone, six accused persons in Coimbatore, Madurai, Chennai and Tiruchy were shot in the leg. In March, so far, three accused persons - one each in Coimbatore, Thanjavur and Thoothukudi - have been shot in the leg. These accused persons had been booked for crimes including murder, rape and theft.
(with inputs from N Ramesh from Thanjavur)