- Custodial death in Tamil Nadu sparks political controversy with DMK targeting CM Vijay
- Opposition leader Udhayanidhi Stalin demands CM Vijay explain police's role in the death
- Three prison staff arrested over death of disabled man Sabari Varman in Kanniyakumari jail
Politics has peaked in Tamil Nadu over an alleged custodial death with the opposition DMK training guns at Chief Minister Joseph Vijay.
The DMK has demanded that Vijay speak up on the issue the same way he raised the custodial deaths when DMK was in power.
Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin has demanded that Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay respond to the incident. Posting on X, he said the person holding charge of the police department "must explain the circumstances surrounding the custodial death."
In the Tamil Nadu government, Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay directly holds the Home portfolio, overseeing police, law and order, and public administration.
Three prison staff, including a warden, have been arrested by the police over the custodial death of a 35-yera-old specially abled man at a sub-jail in Kanniyakumari district on July 13.
The victim, Sabari Varman, was arrested by South Thamaraikulam police on July 9 on allegations of selling gutkha.
He died inside the sub-jail on Monday morning. On July 13, Varman's relatives gathered at the hospital and alleged that he had been beaten to death inside the jail. The post-mortem found 19 injuries on his body.
A police probe and examination of CCTV footage from inside the jail found that that an altercation had occurred inside the prison, during which Varman was subject to physical assault by prison personnel on the night of July 12. Chief Warden N Suresh and two other staff have been arrested.
Hitting out at Vijay, the DMK reminded how he spoke against a case of custodial death when MK Stalin was the chief minister. The party asked why is he silent now.
Contrasting Stalin's response to custodial death to that of Vijay, DMK leader Paranthamen said that when a guard was killed police custody, the then chief minister MK Stalin took responsibility and apologised to the family.
"Vijay had then said, 'Sir, we don't want your apology, we want justice," the leader recalled. "Today, the people of Tamil Nadu are telling Vijay, 'We don't want reels, we want justice", the DMK leader said.
"When Vijay was an opposition leader, he took up the issue of custodial deaths in a big way. Now in his government, the police atrocities have led to a death inside a prison," DMK spokesperson Hafeezullah said.
