A 27-year-old temple guard, Ajithkumar, working at the Madapuram Kaliamman temple in Sivaganga district, Tamil Nadu, has died in police custody, triggering widespread public outrage, allegations of custodial torture, and questions about political interference and institutional accountability.
Ajithkumar, employed under the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department, was detained by the Thirubhuvanam Police on Friday, 27 June 2025, following a complaint from a devotee alleging the theft of 80 grams of gold jewellery from her car parked at the temple premises. The complainant, a 42-year-old disabled woman from Madurai named Sivagami, had visited the temple with her daughter, Nikki. Due to her disability, she reportedly handed the car keys to Nikki, who in turn entrusted Ajith with the responsibility of parking the car.
Ajith, who reportedly did not know how to drive, is said to have sought help from someone else. After a delay in returning the keys, Nikki discovered that the jewellery allegedly left in the vehicle was missing. This prompted a complaint to the temple administration and later to the local police.
Alleged Torture And Death In Custody
According to multiple eyewitnesses and statements from Ajith’s family, the situation escalated alarmingly after the theft complaint was filed. Ajith was first assaulted by temple authorities and later, more severely, by police officers who arrived at the temple.
Without any formal inquiry or legal procedure, Ajith and several others were taken into custody. His younger brother, Naveen, was also detained and allegedly tortured in an effort to force Ajith into confessing to the theft. Naveen recounted that five men, including himself and Ajith, were beaten as they were taken in police vehicles from one location to another.
“They beat me for half an hour before they started torturing my brother,” Naveen told reporters. “They were not in uniform. They tied us to a tree behind a temple near Maattukkottai and beat us with rods.”
In another horrifying revelation, witnesses state that Ajith was subjected to extreme forms of torture. After reportedly collapsing from the beating, he allegedly asked for water, which was laced with chilli powder before being given to him. Following this, Ajith reportedly suffered involuntary discharges and was unable to walk.
At approximately 4:00 AM on Saturday, 28 June 2025, the police reportedly searched Ajith’s house, taking him again to the temple and later to a grove where he was beaten further. By noon, he was said to be in an unconscious state and was taken to the Thirubhuvanam Government Hospital. Reportedly, he was beaten up for about 18 hours. Doctors there declared him dead.
Shockingly, instead of reporting the death to medical authorities or the family, the police allegedly took the body from the hospital back to the police station in a tempo van and only later transferred it to the Madurai Government Hospital in an ambulance.
Family And Public React With Protests
Ajith’s family and relatives were not immediately informed of his death. When they arrived at the police station around midnight on Saturday demanding his whereabouts, police reportedly maintained silence until around 1:00 AM when they finally disclosed that Ajith’s body had been moved to Madurai.
A large crowd gathered outside the police station and blocked roads demanding justice. The protestors questioned the legitimacy of the theft complaint and pointed out the lack of basic legal procedures – proof that the jewelry was in the car, why was Ajith detained overnight without remand or legal representation and the police were not in uniform during interrogation. They also questioned why Ajith’s death was not reported immediately.
Ajith’s brother, Naveen, further alleged: “The lady said the jewellery was missing only after the key was returned. We don’t even know if it was there in the first place. They beat us so badly that my brother died confessing something he didn’t do.”
Officials Suspended, But Protesters Demand More
Following intense public pressure, six police officers from the Crime Branch were suspended and later arrested. The officers were identified as Raja, Sankara Manikandan, Ramachandran, Prabhu, Anand (Head Constable), and Kannan.
However, activists, villagers, and opposition political voices have decried this as a cosmetic move, accusing higher-ranking officials of orchestrating the brutal interrogation.
“This is murder, not an investigation,” a protestor declared. “The Superintendent of Police must be named in the FIR. This could not have happened without pressure from senior officials.”
அஜித் குமாருக்கு இது தான் நடந்தது.. தண்ணில மிளகாய் பொடி.. காவல் துறையின் விசாரணை இப்படி தான் இருக்குமா.. கொதித்தெழும் உள்ளூர் மக்கள்.!#JusticeForAjithkumar #AjithKumar #Sivagangai #Police #Public #Judge #TamilNews #NewsTamil #NewsTamil24x7 pic.twitter.com/uSv5Ik40nT
— News Tamil 24×7 (@NewsTamilTV24x7) June 29, 2025
The protestors further claimed that political pressure from the HR&CE Department or other state officials may have played a role. “This is the fourth such death in custody in our area,” one community leader stated. “We are being silenced with compensation offers of ₹5 lakh, ₹10 lakh, even ₹30 lakh.”
Videos circulating online, including coverage by News Tamil and several YouTube citizen journalist channels, show grieving family members and local leaders alleging that DMK party members visited Ajith’s family with offers of compensation and jobs, allegedly coercing them into signing off on the post-mortem procedures.
Several protestors and activists have called for a CBI or CBCID investigation, arguing that the state police cannot be trusted to impartially investigate their own officers. Demands have also been made for the Madras High Court to take suo motu cognizance of the custodial death.
Sivagangai District Superintendent of Police, Ashish Rawat, has confirmed an investigation has been launched, and the Crime Branch team involved has been suspended.
(With inputs from India Today)
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