B. Ajith Kumar, the 27-year-old man who died in police custody in Sivaganga, Tamil Nadu.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday (July 12, 2025) registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the police personnel responsible for the custodial death of B. Ajith Kumar, a 29-year-old temple security guard, in Tamil Nadu’s Sivaganga district last month.
Following the government’s order for transferring the probe to CBI within a day of transferring it to the CB-CID, the CBI registered a case under Section 103 (punishment for murder) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) based on the FIR filed at Thirupuvanam police station in Sivaganga district.
Also, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court while hearing a batch of petitions regarding the custodial death, ordered the CBI to appoint an investigating officer within a week to take over the probe and submit a final report by August 20.
The FIR added: “On the basis of the notification issued by the Government of Tamil Nadu, notification u/s 5 of Delhi Police Special Establishment (DSPE) Act has been issued by DoPT, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Government of India.”
The FIR said Deputy Superintendent of Police Mohit Kumar has been appointed as the Investigating Officer (IO) for the case.
The CBI’s FIR includes an English translation of the initial FIR, which was based on a complaint by Head Constable Kannan of the Manamadurai subdivision crime team.
The youth, who worked as a security guard at the Badrakali Amman Temple in Madapuram village near Thirupuvanam, following a gold theft complaint by a woman from Madurai named J.P. Nikitha, was picked up for interrogation by a special team on June 27.
As the interrogation at various places outside the Thirupuvanam police station continued into the second day (June 28), he was taken to a secluded location near the temple where he was allegedly thrashed by the police team for several hours.
The victim was taken by the police to a nearby private hospital. As they refused admission, he was taken to Sivaganga government hospital and later to Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai, but was declared dead.
Six police personnel of the special team were suspended and five among them were subsequently arrested.
Hearing a batch of public interest litigation (PIL) petitions regarding the custodial death, Justices S.M. Subramaniam and A.D. Maria Clete of the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court ordered for a judicial inquiry. Subsequent to this, Fourth Additional District Judge of Madurai, S. John Sundarlal Suresh, conducted an investigation and submitted a report to the High Court on July 8.
Published – July 12, 2025 11:29 pm IST