Madurai, Sept 10:
Four more police personnel, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), have been remanded in judicial custody in connection with the custodial death of temple security guard B. Ajithkumar in Sivaganga district.
The development follows the CBI’s supplementary chargesheet in the case. The four additional accused are then Manamadurai DSP N. Shanmugasundaram, then Thiruppuvanam Inspector Ramesh Kumar, Sub-Inspector Sivakumar and Head Constable Ilayaraja. With this, the total number of police personnel named as accused in the custodial death case has risen to 10.
Ajithkumar, who worked as a security guard at the Madapuram Badrakali Amman temple, was taken into custody in June 2025 in connection with an investigation into the alleged theft of gold jewellery. He was subsequently taken to various locations for questioning and allegedly assaulted while in police custody.
He was later taken to Thiruppuvanam Government Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. A judicial inquiry ordered by the Madras High Court subsequently confirmed that Ajithkumar had died in police custody, following which the case was transferred to the CBI for investigation.
The CBI had initially chargesheeted six police personnel in the case. It later filed a supplementary chargesheet naming the four senior and other police personnel, including the DSP, as additional accused. The chargesheet alleged their roles in the events surrounding Ajithkumar’s detention and death.
The case has already witnessed several legal developments. In February this year, a Madurai court issued a non-bailable warrant against suspended DSP Shanmugasundaram for repeatedly failing to appear before the court despite summons. His anticipatory bail plea had also been dismissed by the Madras High Court.
The custodial death case is pending before the Sessions Court in Madurai, where the allegations against the accused police personnel will be examined in accordance with law.