Tense moments: The relatives of temple security guard Ajith Kumar at the Tirupuvanam police station after he allegedly died during police interrogation on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Six policemen attached to the Sivaganga district police were placed under suspension on Sunday in connection with the death of Ajith Kumar, 27, a temporary security guard, following his “custodial interrogation” on Saturday.
The policemen were involved in the interrogation of Ajith Kumar, who worked as a security guard at the famous Madapuram Badrakaliamman Temple near Tirupuvanam.
The suspended personnel have been identified as Prabhu, Kannan, Sankara Manikandan, Raja, Anand, and Ramachandran.
The police said that on June 27, Sivakami, 75, and her daughter Nikita, from Madurai, visited the temple. On arrival at the temple, Ms. Nikita asked Ajith Kumar to park their car.
Since he said he did not know driving, others helped him park the vehicle. He then handed the key to Ms. Nikita.
Gold jewellery missing
When Ms. Sivakami and Ms. Nikita returned, they found that gold jewellery kept in a bag on the rear seat of the car was missing. Ms. Nikita lodged a complaint with the Tirupuvanam police, who initially interrogated Ajith Kumar and others, but released them the same day.
Later, a separate police team took Ajith Kumar away for interrogation during which he complained of discomfort. He was rushed to hospital where he was declared “brought dead”.
The news of the death quickly spread, and villagers demanded the arrest of the policemen involved, besides compensation and a government job for Ajith Kumar’s family.
Superintendent of Police Ashish Rawat assured them that a fair investigation would be conducted and confirmed the suspension of the six policemen. Revenue officials, led by Sivaganga RDO Vijaykumar, assured them that they would convey the demands to the government.
Local DMK functionaries pacified the victim’s mother and younger brother by assuring them of compensation. They also arranged for them to travel to Madurai to receive the body of Ajith Kumar.
Road blockade
Tension mounted when villagers and AIADMK workers, led by AIADMK MLA Senthilnathan, staged a road blockade, demanding that the family travel only in a government vehicle. After a brief stand-off, the police arranged for the family to travel in a government car.
The situation was then brought under control. Further investigations are under way.
Published – June 29, 2025 10:45 pm IST