Just as the news about the custodial death of 27-year-old temple security guard Ajithkumar dies down, the news of something similacomes up. A 58-year-old tribal farmer, Marimuthu of Melkurumalai village near Udumalai, died under suspicious circumstances early morning on Tuesday, 29 July 2025, while in the custody of the forest department, triggering widespread protests and demands for a high-level inquiry.
According to initial reports, Marimuthu, who had recently been acquitted in a ganja smuggling case by a local court on 29 July 2025, was returning from Udumalai after receiving a copy of the judgment. On his way back to visit his family near Munnar, he was reportedly intercepted at the Chinnaru forest check post by forest department personnel. Officials claim he was found in possession of a tiger tooth and was taken to the Udumalai Forest Office for questioning.
Forest officials later stated that Marimuthu died by suicide, alleging that he hanged himself in the toilet of the office around 4:30 AM. However, the unexplained nature of his detention and the circumstances of his death have led to widespread suspicion and unrest in the area.
Marimuthu’s daughter, Sindhu, lodged a complaint with the Udumalai police, asserting that her father was unlawfully detained and could not have died by suicide. “We are tribals. He was a kind-hearted man. We believe he was beaten to death during interrogation,” she stated.
Multiple tribal organizations and the Hill People’s Association staged protests outside the Udumalai Forest Office, demanding that a case under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act be registered against the forest department officials. Protesters accused the department of custodial violence and failing to inform the family of the arrest.
The Udumalai police, under the supervision of DSP Namachivayam, have taken custody of the body, and a post-mortem is underway. District Collector Manish Naranavar confirmed that the matter is under investigation. He said the forest department maintains that Marimuthu died by suicide and that no external injuries have been found on the body so far. However, he added that the police are also probing why the family was not informed about his detention.
Over 100 police personnel have been deployed in the area to maintain law and order as tensions remain high.
(With inputs from Hindu Tamil)
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