MADURAI/SIVAGANGA: Five policemen were arrested for the murder of B Ajithkumar (27), a temple security guard in Sivaganga district, late on Monday. He was allegedly thrashed by cops on Saturday in a theft case, and died while under custody.
According to the postmortem report, he had suffered brain haemorrhage and had more than 30 contusion injuries on his body, sources said. The autopsy was carried out at the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai on Sunday. Earlier, six police personnel had been suspended in this regard.
Sources said that no bone was found broken and his body samples have been sent for further tests. The preliminary postmortem report may be submitted to the investigating officer on Tuesday.
The final autopsy report may be delayed and can be filed only after collating the test results of samples sent to other laboratories, sources said. After conducting the postmortem, the body was handed over to the family late on Sunday and was later cremated.
Meanwhile, following advocates’ request to the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court for a suo motu hearing in the death of the youth, the court said it would hear the plea once the petition is filed.
E Marees Kumar, state deputy secretary of the advocate wing of AIADMK, and others urged a bench of Justices S M Subramaniam and A D Maria Clete to initiate suo motu proceedings.
After the advocates alleged multiple custodial deaths in the last four years, the government counsel questioned the authenticity of the claim. The judges questioned why a person arrested in a routine case and who did not possess any weapons was subjected to such a brutal treatment by the police.
Marees Kumar also filed a separate petition seeking the court’s direction to provide Rs 50 lakh compensation to the victim’s family and registering of a murder case against those responsible. He also sought to transfer the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to be headed by a retired judge of the Madras High Court.
Meanwhile, District Munsif-cum-Judicial Magistrate of Thirupuvanam, R Venkadesh Prasanth, on Monday inspected the spots near the temple where Ajithkumar was allegedly beaten up by the police personnel. Sivaganga police officials said that they are yet to probe further into the theft case.
The People’s Union For Civil Liberties, in a press statement on Sunday, urged the state government not to save the police personnel involved in such crimes. The case must be transferred to an investigating agency such as CB-CID, the PUCL said.