A 27-year-old man employed as a security guard at a temple died while in police custody in Sivaganga on Saturday, following his detention by the Thirupuvanam police for questioning in a theft case. Confirming the incident, a senior police official stated that Superintendent of Police Ashish Rawat has initiated an internal investigation. Authorities have indicated that more time is needed to ascertain the full details of the incident.
According to police sources, the theft was reported on Friday near the Madapuram Kaliamman Temple, which is under the administration of the HR&CE department. J Nikita (42), a resident of Thirumangalam in Madurai, had visited the temple with her family, including her 75-year-old mother Sivakami. B Ajithkumar (27), a security guard employed through outsourcing, was on duty at the time.
Nikita is said to have asked Ajithkumar for assistance in helping her mother enter the temple for darshan and handed over her car keys to him for parking. After returning, she reportedly discovered that jewellery worth approximately 9.5 sovereigns—including a gold thali chain, two bangles, and two rings—was missing from her bag inside the car. She lodged a complaint with both the temple management and the Thirupuvanam police.
Ajithkumar was initially questioned and let go on Friday. However, the following day, a special police team took him in for further interrogation. During the process, he was allegedly assaulted by officers after giving conflicting statements, which reportedly led to his death while in custody.
It remains unclear whether Ajithkumar was responsible for the theft, according to police sources. A case has been filed under Section 176 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which deals with procedures related to custodial deaths. His body has been sent to the Government Rajaji Hospital for postmortem examination. SP Ashish Rawat is currently conducting an inquiry involving the officers concerned.
Selective Outrage: Where Are the Voices Now?
What is most glaring in the aftermath of Ajithkumar’s custodial death is the deafening silence from the very voices that led national outrage during the Jeyaraj-Bennix case in 2020. When that incident occurred under a previous regime, it triggered a wave of outrage across Tamil Nadu and beyond. Celebrities, activists, and so-called “Dravidian intellectuals” were quick to condemn police brutality—rightly so. But today, the silence is not just troubling—it’s telling.
Where is Rajinikanth, who relased a picture of his ‘angry face’ expressing shock over Jeyaraj & Bennix calling for all the officials to be severely punished? Where is Kamal Haasan, who used the Jeyaraj-Bennix incident to launch political salvos? Where are actors like Suriya, Karthi, and Vishal, who released statements and videos lamenting state violence? Why hasn’t singer-activist Suchitra—who vocally amplified the custodial death case earlier—spoken up now?
And what about the usual suspects in Dravidianist media—those who flooded timelines with hashtags and op-eds during the Sathankulam tragedy? The channels and journalists who frame every incident around “Brahminical patriarchy” or “fascist policing” seem curiously disengaged when the ruling regime is one they are ideologically aligned with.
This silence exposes what many have long suspected: for certain influential figures and outlets, human rights are a convenient tool, not a consistent principle. Their outrage is not rooted in justice but in politics. When the narrative doesn’t suit them, they simply look away.
Custodial deaths must be condemned regardless of which party is in power, and justice must not be selective. But in Tamil Nadu today, it seems silence is the price for ideological loyalty.
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