Chennai, June 24(BPNS)
The Director General of Police, Tamil Nadu J.K. Tripathi has said that there would be zero tolerance to police highhandedness and custodial torture. The senior police officer said that the police assault against a farmer in Salem and his subsequent death on Wednesday was an “aberration.”
The DGP while speaking to BPNS said that there would not be any leniency for any criminal act on the part of the police and added that the Special Sub-inspector who was involved in the attack against the farmer, Murugesan in Salem leading to his death was arrested.
Police have foisted murder charges against the Special Sub Inspector, S Periyaswamy and have arrested him.
The deceased Murugesan’s wife Annakkili had told reporters before the Salem Government Medical College hospital that he was the sole breadwinner of the family and with the murder by the police, she and her three children have become orphans.
The video clippings of the Special Sub Inspector thrashing Murugesan even as the later was pleading has gone viral. The video was shot by a relative who was also with Murugesan.
Three policemen, Divakar, Murugan, and Balaji were with the Special Sub Inspector during the incident. Police sources said that the Murugesan along with his nephews Sivan Babu and R Shankar were crossing the Pappinaickenpetti check post and police intercepted the two-wheeler in which they were traveling as they were in an inebriated state. This led to an altercation between the police and Murugesan and the SSI thrashed him.
It may be recalled that exactly a year before this gruesome incident, Jayaraj a trader and his son J Bennicks was brutally beaten to death at the Sattankulam police station in Thoothukudi district.
