SIVAGANGA: A day after a temple security guard died allegedly while in police custody, Superintendent of Police Ashish Rawat on Sunday suspended six police personnel of a special team which had detained him in a theft case. District Munsif-cum-Judicial Magistrate of Thirupuvanam R Venkadesh Prasanth has also commenced his inquest.
Police sources claimed that the death did not occur inside the station but outside it. Thirupuvanam police have registered a case under Section 196 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita.
B Ajithkumar (27) of Madapuram, near Thirupuvanam who worked as a temporary security guard at the Madapuram Kaliamman Temple, which is managed by the HR and CE department, was detained by a special crime police team of Manamadurai sub-division in connection with a jewel missing case, based on a complaint from J Nikita (42) of Thirumangalam.
Nikita had alleged that 9.5 sovereigns kept in her car were missing when she visited the temple with her mother, Sivakami, on Friday, after Ajithkumar assisted her. Nikita told media persons that Ajithkumar parked the car for her. Upon returning after darshan, she asked him to bring the car. Later, Sivakami alerted her that jewels which had been kept in the car were missing. Nikita immediately informed the temple authorities, but Ajithkumar provided contradictory replies, leading her to lodge a complaint with the Thirupuvanam police.
His brother, B Naveenkumar, said based on the complaint, police arrived at their house, conducted a search, and took him and three others for questioning.
Naveenkumar also alleged that police beat them up. He added Ajithkumar said he was innocent, but police continued to beat him up. Unable to bear this, he confessed to the crime and said the jewel was kept at a certain location. Police took Ajithkumar to a shed near the temple, but couldn’t find the jewel, following which they beat him up again. “I am not sure whether he committed the crime. Even if he had stolen the jewels, he should not be beaten to death,” Naveenkumar stated, adding Ajithkumar had no cases pending against him.
Ajithkumar’s family said the complainant had not noticed the jewels missing when they initially left the spot but returned a few hours later to lodge a complaint. The family termed the woman’s complaint as false. Further, the family demanded that a murder case be registered against the police personnel and sought compensation as a condition for accepting the body.
District administration and police pacified them with assurances of a fair probe, following which they agreed to receive the body after post-mortem examination at Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai. Shopkeepers in Madapuram downed shutters to condemn the incident. The victim’s family and villagers protested in front of the vehicle of the Thirupuvanam town panchayat chairman Sengai Maran.