TVK chief Vijay meets families of 18 custodial death victims

Vijay, who was the first Chief Ministerial candidate of any political party in Tamil Nadu to visit the family of Ajith Kumar -- who allegedly died after being tortured by police last month -- met with the families of all 18 victims separately at his office in Panayur on the East Coast Road.

Chennai: In a significant development, Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and popular actor Vijay on Saturday met with the families of 18 people who are alleged to have died in police custody since the DMK came to power in 2021 and promised to ensure that justice is rendered to them.

Vijay, who was the first Chief Ministerial candidate of any political party in Tamil Nadu to visit the family of Ajith Kumar -- who allegedly died after being tortured by police last month at their residence in Tirupuvanam -- met with the families of all 18 victims separately at his office in Panayur on the East Coast Road.

“He spent 10 minutes with each of the families of all 18 victims. He gave a patient hearing to them,” a TVK source told DH. The actor-politician, according to the source, also promised the families that the TVK would take care of the legal expenses involved in fighting cases against the police and government.

Vijay becomes the first political leader in Tamil Nadu to meet with families of custodial death victims, though the ruling DMK contests the number—all opposition parties allege that 24 people have died in police custody since the DMK came to power.

The move also comes at a time when the DMK, whom Vijay has identified as his party’s political enemy, is facing heat from various quarters over the increasing number of custodial deaths, with many political parties questioning whether Chief Minister M K Stalin is in control of law and order.

Another source who was present at the meeting said the atmosphere was emotionally charged, as many family members broke down while narrating their tales to Vijay. “He hugged them to console them. He promised them that he and his party would ensure that they get justice. The actor-politician also promised to file a case with the Human Rights Commission as part of his efforts to render justice to them,” the source added.

Vijay’s meeting with the families of custodial death victims comes amidst criticism that the actor was not active in field work and preferred to remain indoors.

The custodial death of Ajith Kumar, who was a temple guard at a temple in Tirupuvanam in Sivaganga district, on June 29 also led the opposition to question Stalin as to 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.