<p>Chennai: Five policemen, including two head constables, have been arrested by the Sivaganga Police in connection with the death of B Ajith Kumar, a temple guard, who died after being brutally trashed by policemen in their custody over the weekend. </p><p>Head Constables Kannan and Prabhu (Pazhayanur and Manamadurai police stations), and constables Raja, Anand, and Sankara Manikandan were arrested late Monday night, while police haven’t detained Ramachandran, another policeman, who has booked along with the five people mentioned above. </p><p>All the six were placed under suspension after the custodial torture and subsequent death of Ajith Kumar created a political uproar in Tamil Nadu with opposition parties alleging that this was 24th custodial death after Chief Minister M K Stalin assumed office in May 2021. </p><p>The arrests came on the day the Madras High Court observed that the case should be treated with utmost seriousness. Tirupuvanam sub-magistrate Venkatesh Prasad sent all five arrested policemen to judicial custody. </p>.Temple security guard's custodial death kicks up political row in Tamil Nadu, 5 accused cops held.<p>Ajith Kumar, who worked as a security guard at Madapuram Badrakaliamman Temple in Thirupuvanam, in Sivaganga district, died after being allegedly tortured by six policemen of a “special team” formed to probe his role into a complaint filed by a mother-daughter duo that 10 sovereigns of gold went missing from their car. </p><p>The duo asked Ajith Kumar to park their vehicle and the victim, it is believed, sought the help of others in parking the car following which the women alleged that 10 sovereigns of gold went missing from their vehicle. The police detained Ajith Kumar, his brother Naveen Kumar, and three others and let them off by June 27 evening but only to pick them up once again and take them to different locations before beating up the deceased. </p><p>An autopsy conducted on Ajit Kumar’s body has revealed over 15 external injury marks and grievous internal injuries. The deceased’s brother, Naveen Kumar, who was also detained by the “special police team” alleged that his brother was brutally thrashed in front of him and he was declared dead at a private hospital where he was taken on June 29 morning. </p><p>Chief Minister M K Stalin-led dispensation has been tight-lipped for the past two days, prompting the AIADMK and BJP to ask why his heart beats only for people who die when the DMK occupies the opposition benches in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. They were referring to the DMK’s proactiveness in seeking justice for P Jeyaraj and Emmanuel Bennix, a father son-duo from Sathankulam, who were killed in police custody in June 2020 – an incident that made national headlines. </p>
<p>Chennai: Five policemen, including two head constables, have been arrested by the Sivaganga Police in connection with the death of B Ajith Kumar, a temple guard, who died after being brutally trashed by policemen in their custody over the weekend. </p><p>Head Constables Kannan and Prabhu (Pazhayanur and Manamadurai police stations), and constables Raja, Anand, and Sankara Manikandan were arrested late Monday night, while police haven’t detained Ramachandran, another policeman, who has booked along with the five people mentioned above. </p><p>All the six were placed under suspension after the custodial torture and subsequent death of Ajith Kumar created a political uproar in Tamil Nadu with opposition parties alleging that this was 24th custodial death after Chief Minister M K Stalin assumed office in May 2021. </p><p>The arrests came on the day the Madras High Court observed that the case should be treated with utmost seriousness. Tirupuvanam sub-magistrate Venkatesh Prasad sent all five arrested policemen to judicial custody. </p>.Temple security guard's custodial death kicks up political row in Tamil Nadu, 5 accused cops held.<p>Ajith Kumar, who worked as a security guard at Madapuram Badrakaliamman Temple in Thirupuvanam, in Sivaganga district, died after being allegedly tortured by six policemen of a “special team” formed to probe his role into a complaint filed by a mother-daughter duo that 10 sovereigns of gold went missing from their car. </p><p>The duo asked Ajith Kumar to park their vehicle and the victim, it is believed, sought the help of others in parking the car following which the women alleged that 10 sovereigns of gold went missing from their vehicle. The police detained Ajith Kumar, his brother Naveen Kumar, and three others and let them off by June 27 evening but only to pick them up once again and take them to different locations before beating up the deceased. </p><p>An autopsy conducted on Ajit Kumar’s body has revealed over 15 external injury marks and grievous internal injuries. The deceased’s brother, Naveen Kumar, who was also detained by the “special police team” alleged that his brother was brutally thrashed in front of him and he was declared dead at a private hospital where he was taken on June 29 morning. </p><p>Chief Minister M K Stalin-led dispensation has been tight-lipped for the past two days, prompting the AIADMK and BJP to ask why his heart beats only for people who die when the DMK occupies the opposition benches in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. They were referring to the DMK’s proactiveness in seeking justice for P Jeyaraj and Emmanuel Bennix, a father son-duo from Sathankulam, who were killed in police custody in June 2020 – an incident that made national headlines. </p>