Chennai: S Jeyakumar, who was transferred from Villupuram District Superintendent of Police and posted as Tuticorin SP in place of Arun Balagopalan, assumed charge today.
He was greeted by Balagopalan, ho was brought to the compulsory wait at the office of the Director General of Police, following the Sathankulam custodial deaths of a father-son duo and the subsequent verbal abuse faced by a Judicial Magistrate probing the incident.
Speaking to the media, Jeyakumar said he would take steps to ensure smooth relationship of the police with the public and said that police personnel would be trained to be friendly with people.
The shifting of Tuticorin SP comes in the backdrop of the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court initiating suo motu contempt proceedings after a constable in the Sathankulam station made disparaging remarks against the Judicial Magistrate, probing the custodial deaths of Jayaraj and his son Benicks.
After Arun Balagopalan ordered en masse transfer of all the police personnel in Sathankulam station, Additional SP D Kumar, DSP C Prathapan and constable Maharajan were placed under suspension, after Judges P N Prakash and B Pugalendhi, during the contempt proceedings observed that unless the State government intervene immediately and transfer the trio it would be very difficult for a free and fair probe into the deaths.