Tiruchi: Tamilnadu Director General of Police C Sylendra Babu has said ‘police personnel should not hesitate to use firearms under extreme circumstances to protect their lives.’
‘The law asserts that cops can act in self defence using firearms when they face deadly attacks and hence the police personnel should not hesitate to use firearms under such extreme circumstances to protect their lives, even while upholding the law,’ the DGP told newsmen after paying homage to slain SSI S.Boominathan, who was hacked to death by goat thieves two days back.
He said instructions had been given to police personnel to carry firearms during patrol in remote areas as a safety measure.
Babu visited the bereaved family at their house at Cholamanagar here, placed a wreath at the portrait of Boominathan and offered his condolences to them.
The DGP said investigations based on evidence, including video footage, revealed ‘cent per cent’ involvement of the three accused, including two juveniles in the murder.
One of the accused Manikandan (19) was under inebriated condition, he said. He described Boominathan as a hero and said the SSI had faced the situation boldly and sacrificed his life while discharging his duty.
Without treating the stealing of goat as a minor issue, the SSI had chased the three culprits on his motorcycle for 15 kms and cornered them in the wee hours of Sunday. He had seized the weapon carried by the culprits and informed their family members over the mobile phone about the crime committed by them, thereby acting in accordance with the law.
But unfortunately Boominathan would not have realised that the culprits would launch a deadly attack on him, he said.
Terming the police job as challenging, the DGP said attacks on police personnel were continuing for more than a century, when the police force was started in the country.
He said 86 boys clubs were functioning across the State for rehabilitation of juvenile offenders and Chief Minister M K Stalin has given approval to start additional 52 clubs.
Babu thanked the Chief Minister on behalf of the police department for granting Rs one crore as solatium and a government job for the family of Boominathan.