Temple guard died in police custody, confirms HC probe

The judicial inquiry ordered by the Madras High Court into the death of Ajith Kumar has concluded, confirming that it was indeed a case of custodial death.

The probe, conducted under the court’s supervision, had been initiated following allegations that Ajith Kumar died due to police brutality while in custody in Tamil Nadu’s Sivagangai district.

According to officials, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is handling the case, will now take a decision on whether additional police officers should be named and included in the list of accused. So far, five police officers have been arrested in connection with the case.

The inquiry’s findings are expected to inform the next steps in the investigation, including whether more arrests or charges are warranted.

The custodial death of 27-year-old Ajith Kumar triggered widespread outrage after a video surfaced of him being repeatedly beaten with a stick. Arrested in connection with a jewellery theft, Ajith was taken to a cowshed on June 27 and later died on June 28. Police had earlier claimed he suffered an epileptic seizure while trying to escape, but the autopsy report indicated he was beaten to death.

The post-mortem report in the case had revealed that Ajith Kumar suffered from massive internal bleeding and trauma, consistent with severe and widespread physical assault. The findings of the report, provided strong medical evidence of extreme violence, likely sustained over a prolonged period, and is consistent with torture that resulted in death.

The presence of petechial haemorrhages in internal organs like the heart and liver, and subscalp contusions, indicate blunt force trauma and internal bleeding not typically seen in accidental injuries or isolated assault, but rather in prolonged, deliberate physical abuse.

According to the report, 44 injuries were recorded in the autopsy, accompanied by deep muscle-level contusions, brain and organ haemorrhaging, and injuries of varying lengths and directions across the body. These injuries are consistent with repeated, targeted physical assault using objects like sticks, batons or rods.