MADURAI: Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday ordered the transfer of the probe into the custodial death of B Ajithkumar (27), from the state police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The Tamil Nadu government will provide its full cooperation to the CBI investigation, he said.
Amid criticism from various quarters, the CM spoke to the family of the deceased over phone and consoled them. “I am very sorry. I have asked action to be taken, serious action. Stay strong,” he told the victim’s mother. The CM shared the video of his telephonic conversation with the family on his X handle.
In a separate statement, the CM said, “The Madras High Court Madurai Bench has allowed the CB-CID probe into the matter. However, with five policemen facing allegations, to ensure that there are no apprehensions over the probe, I have directed transferring the investigation to the CBI. The death is unjustifiable and cannot be excused.”
While initially six policemen were suspended, five were later arrested on murder charge. The district SP has been put on compulsory wait while a DSP has been suspended, the CM recalled.
FIR details
The initial FIR registered by the Thirupuvanam police at 2 am on June 29, claimed police had questioned Ajithkumar about the missing gold jewellery based on the directions of the Manamadurai DSP.
According to the FIR, Ajithkumar said the car, from which the jewellery was missing, was parked by Arun, who was questioned and denied his involvement. The police claimed Ajithkumar then “confessed” he had given the jewellery to his brother, Naveenkumar, who also denied it and said that his brother was lying.
The FIR said Ajithkumar then named Dinakaran and Lokeshwaran as having brought back the car; they were questioned and they too denied any role in the theft. When the DSP and Thirupuvanam inspector were informed of this, they directed the policemen to “question him again”.
Police then questioned Ajithkumar’s friends Praveen and Vinoth. They allegedly said Ajithkumar may have committed the theft. Finally, Ajithkumar confessed to the crime and was taken to the crime spot where he fell while attempting to escape, the FIR claimed. “Ajithkumar again attempted to escape, fell, developed seizures, and was rushed to the hospital,” it added. He was declared dead around 11.15 pm on June 28 at the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai.
However, on Tuesday, a 40-second video clip emerged showing police personnel in plainclothes beating a man on the ground, believed to be Ajithkumar, with a lathi, raising questions about the events as described in the FIR.
FIR altered
The FIR has since been converted to a case of murder, with Section 103 (1) of BNS invoked against policemen S Raja (36) of Malavarayanenthal, A Anand (38) of Thirupuvanam, S Sankaramanikandan (36) of Manamadurai, G Prabhu (42) of Puthupatti, and G Kannan (47) of Paraikkulam. They were remanded under judicial custody on Tuesday. Their families staged a protest later in the day, claiming the policemen could not have acted independently.