Strongly condemning the DMK government over the alleged custodial death of 27-year-old temple security guard Ajithkumar in Sivagangai district, Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) has demanded that the case be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a fair and impartial probe.
He also called for the intervention of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to investigate the incident and all custodial deaths under the current regime.
In a statement posted on social media on Tuesday, EPS said, “It is shocking to learn that the victim had sustained 18 injuries from head to toe. The cause of death was the extreme pressure applied to his neck, as per autopsy reports. This is clearly a case of murder committed by the police.”
Contradicting this, the police’s First Information Report (FIR) claims Ajithkumar died due to a seizure he suffered while trying to escape custody. However, a recently surfaced video showing police thrashing Ajith with a baton has stirred public anger and discredited the official version.
EPS alleged that under Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s DMK rule, 25 custodial deaths have occurred, which he termed as “blatant human rights violations.” Referring to a similar 2022 custodial death of a man named Vignesh, EPS accused the Chief Minister of misleading the public with false statements.
He announced the launch of a national campaign with the hashtags #JusticeForAjithkumar and #NationWithAjith to raise awareness and demand accountability for custodial deaths in Tamil Nadu.
“Where is the Chief Minister hiding now, without responding to the people’s questions?” EPS asked, intensifying his attack. He further criticized Stalin’s recent law and order meetings and the decision to transfer the case to the CB-CID as mere “drama.”
EPS asserted that the public and the Opposition have no faith in the FIR filed against the police involved in the case and insisted that the Chief Minister must take full responsibility for Ajithkumar’s death and offer answers to the people.