In yet another instance, the Tamil Nadu police are facing criticism and mounting questions after the death of a 26-year-old Scheduled Caste (Pallar community) youth, Thangasamy, who was in the custody of the Puliyangudi police in Tenkasi district. Thangasamy had been arrested for his alleged involvement in the illegal supply of liquor.
According to reports, Thangasamy was remanded in judicial custody, but he complained of uneasiness, prompting authorities to transfer him to Tirunelveli Medical College. However, his condition deteriorated, and he subsequently passed away. The circumstances surrounding his death have raised concerns and sparked an outcry.
Adding to the controversy, M. Easwaran, the brother of Thangasamy, has filed a petition with the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Tirunelveli Range. The petitioner claimed that Thangasamy had seven irregular reddish-brown abrasions on his body when he died in Palayamkottai Central Prison. So far, the police have not made any official statements regarding the incident.
What Happened To Thangasamy?
According to the Easwaran, Thangasamy who works as a construction worker left home on 11 June 2023 for work but didn’t return. They apparently thought that he must have gone out of station for work and would return the next day but he didn’t return. The worried family inquired about his whereabouts at his work place and co-workers but in vain.
“On 14 June 2023 at around 5 30 PM, the Puliyangudi Police Inspector Balakrishnan inquired our village head Palraj about my brother and informed him that he has died in Palayamkottai prison.”, Easwaran wrote in his petition.
After that they went to the Puliyangudi police station where they came to know that Thangasamy was arrested on 11 June 2023 when he came to the Puliyangudi police station to take his two-wheeler and was apparently sent to Palayankottai jail that night. They were told that he died at the Palayamkottai jail on 14 June 2023 and that the body was kept in Tirunelveli Government Medical College and Hospital. A case of suspicious death was registered at the Perumalpuram police station (Case No. 255/2023).
On 15 June 2023, at around 9:45 AM, Easwaran and other relatives namely – Ganesan, Sivaraj, Karuppasamy, Amirtharaj, – went to mortuary and saw the body. They noticed bruises and injuries on Thangasamy’s body and had recorded visuals of the same in their phones. When they were at the mortuary, the Tirunelveli Judicial Magistrate Thriveni had come to whom they conveyed about the injuries. However, Palayamkottai police sub-inspector Sathishkumar allegedly snatched their phones and deleted the visuals taken of Thangasamy’s body which led to concerns of foulplay in Thangasamy’s death.
Easwaran later moved the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court asking for a videographing the postmortem of his brother’s body and give him a copy of the postmortem report along with the video recording which the court had also ordered to do. However, only the post-mortem report was given and not the video recording. They were told that the video was taken by the police to be submitted to the judicial magistrate. But when Easwaran and other relatives went to the judicial magistrate office, they were told that they haven’t received it. Easwaran in his petition to the the DIG has said that this is contempt of court and asked for the postmortem video to be handed over to them.
The post-mortem report notes that Thangasamy’s body had 7 irregular reddish brown abrasions that occurred 3-4 days before his death which coincides with his police custody period.
“It is crystal clear that my brother died of custodial torture.”, Easwaran alleged in his letter.
He has pressed slapping murder charges against police officials in Puliyangkudi Police Station and Palayamkottain jail officials and booking them under SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act.
He has also asked for a thorough judicial enquiry into his brother’s death and appropriate compensation along with a government job considering the family’s economic conditions.
In response, the Tenkasi district administration has reportedly taken steps to hold a discussion with Thangasamy’s family members, advising them to collect his body from Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital. The body was later collected on
Tenkasi Collector Durai Ravichandran, Sankarankovil MLA E Raja, and Vasudevanallur MLA Sathan Thirumalaikumar have conducted a talk with the victim’s mother. They have assured the family that based on the results of the viscera examination, legal aid will be provided. Additionally, the state government and the DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) district unit have pledged compensation of ₹3 lakh and ₹2 lakh, respectively, to Thangasamy’s family. Moreover, Thangasamy’s brother, Eswaran, will be offered a temporary job in the Puliyangudi municipality.
Opposition Condemns
The AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) party has condemned the alleged custodial torture and death of Thangasamy. They have demanded a thorough investigation into the matter.
Edappadi K Palaniswami said that while CM Stalin is busy touring the country with the dream of becoming Prime Minister, there has been a rising a police excess which comes under his control.
“The postmortem report had revealed injuries on his body. I heard Tenkasi district has 69 TASMAC outlets and only 13 of them have a license. Rest of the outlets, including three in Puliyangudi, are running bars illegally. Meanwhile, Thangasamy had been arrested with the charge of selling liquor bottles along with an elderly woman,”, AIADMK leader Palaniswami wrote in his statement.
BJP Tamil Nadu state functionary Ananthan Ayyasamy who hails from the Tenkasi district raised concerns about the state of law and order in the region.
He alleged that there is a break-down of law order and public safety in Tenkasi district pointing out that two back-to-back murders happened in broad daylight. M Rajesh, a 27-year old youth was brutally murdered by unidentified miscreants near Sengottai in Tenkasi district on Wednesday (14 June 2023). A watchman at a private garden near Kadayanallur was hacked to death.
In a recent interview with a YouTube channel, political commentator ‘Savukku’ Shankar raised concerns about the case. He questioned the arrest itself, citing the FIR, which stated, “As there is no individual witness, we ourselves signed the witness paper while seizing the illegal liquor bottles.” Shankar suggested that the case may have ulterior motives and criticized the lack of evident actions taken by DGP Sylendra Babu.
Savukku Shankar, raised further allegations regarding the custodial death of Thangasamy. Shankar claimed that while the FIR states that Thangasamy was held in custody at the Puliyangudi police station, he was actually brutally attacked at the Shokkampatti police station. He also drew a connection between this incident and the lack of action taken against ASP Balveer Singh, who was involved of pulling out the teeth of over 10 persons and crushing the testicles of two in police custody. The accusations against Singh were levelled by many men who were brought to Ambasamudram, Kallidaikurichi and Vikramasingapuram police stations in Tirunelveli for inquiries.
According to the FIR filed by the Perumalpuram police station, it stated that Thangasamy complained of uneasiness, difficulty in breathing, and gasping before his death on the way to the hospital. The police allegedly informed the family about his death. However, Shankar questioned why Thangasamy’s family was not immediately informed after his arrest. He also raised concerns about the role of the prison administration, questioning whether they had examined the accused, Madasamy, before admitting him to the prison.
Shankar further criticized Chief Minister MK Stalin, who had previously highlighted the custodial deaths of Bennix and Jeyaraj, for not speaking out about the custodial death of Thangasamy. He highlighted that Thangasamy’s family refused to claim his body for eight days, seeking justice for their son.
As the incident continues to attract attention and criticism, there is a growing demand for a thorough investigation into Thangasamy’s death and accountability for any potential misconduct or custodial torture by the police.
However, this is not the first case of custodial torture that has happened under the watch of MK Stalin-led DMK government.
Cases Of Police Brutality In DMK Govt
Rajasekar, a 33-year-old resident of Munthiri Thoppu in Tiruvallur district was brought to the P6 Kodungaiyur police station on 11 June 2022 for an inquiry regarding two burglary cases but was brought dead to the Government Stanley Medical College Hospital on 12 June 2023.
In another case in Nagapattinam district, a 44-year-old man named Siva Subramanian working at a cycle repair shop died in judicial custody.
Vignesh (25), a Scheduled Caste youth who used to offer horse rides at the Chennai’s Marina Beach and Suresh (28), a construction worker, were reportedly apprehended for possession of ganja and liquor. They were pinned down and later brought to the G5 Secretariat Colony police station. Vignesh later developed health complications. He started vomitting and had seizures. He was rushed to the hospital where he was declared brought dead.
In June 2021, a fruit stall owner named Murugesan died after being thrashed by police at the Pappanaickenpatti check post under the Yethapur police station limits in Tamil Nadu’s Salem district.
In December 2021, a 67-yr-old man died after he was released from police custody in Villupuram.
More such cases can be found here in this article.
Stoic Silence Of Virtue Signallers
Despite these back-to-back incidents of police brutality, the virtue-signallers of Kollywood who consider themselves to be champions of justice have maintained stoic silence.
‘Superstar’ Rajinikanth, who relased a picture of his ‘angry face’ expressing shock over the incident and calling for all the officials to be severely punished, has gone on mute to shoot for his next film with Sun Pictures.
Full-time actor and part-time politician Kamal Haasan who demanded action against the police, judiciary, doctors involved in the Sathankulam incident is today missing in action.
Actor Suriya who had made a film on custodial torture titled Jai Bhim, and had issued a ‘strong statement’ against the custodial death of Jayaraj and Bennix stands with his mouth zipped.
Director Vetrimaaran who had made a film on custodial torture and had tweeted supporting justice for Jeyaraj and Bennix hasn’t uttered a word.
Remember the viral video of ‘Radio Mirchi’ Suchitra, explaining in graphic detail about the Sathankulam incident where two men named Jayaraj and Bennix allegedly died of police torture?
Well, she is no where to be seen now.
This dead silence and selective outrage from these ‘celebrities’ and Dravidian Stockist media are now being called out for their opportunism.
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