Amid Tamil Nadu Custodial Death, Old Video Showing Cops Beating Man Sparks Row

A disturbing video, purportedly from a police station in Tamil Nadu's Theni district, has surfaced amid ongoing outrage over the recent alleged custodial death of a young security guard, Ajith Kumar, in Sivaganga district. 

The footage from January this year shows multiple instances of police high-handedness, which has triggered renewed concerns over police brutality and custodial violence in the state.

The video clips with a timestamp of January 14, 2025, between 11:00 am and 12:40 pm, which NDTV can't independently verify, show a man, seemingly in custody, being repeatedly assaulted by police personnel at different times inside the station premises. 

One clip shows a uniformed officer thrashing the man on his face as he is escorted in. Other visuals show at least two policemen slapping him several times, kicking him with boots, and one officer hitting and poking him with a stick.

A senior police officer confirmed to NDTV that the man in the video was allegedly drunk and had been taken into custody following complaints from the public that he had created a nuisance and fought in a public place. "He created a ruckus even inside the station," the officer said. However, the official acknowledged the seriousness of the footage and added, "We would have known had he filed a complaint or got admitted. He was perhaps not injured. But whether this was police excess, we will have to wait for the enquiry report."

Interestingly, this footage was not released voluntarily but was part of a set of CCTV clips shared under the Right to Information (RTI) Act in connection with an unrelated case. The lawyer handling that case has now made the video public.

The revelation comes against the backdrop of the alleged custodial killing of 28-year-old Ajith Kumar, a temporary temple security guard from Sivaganga district, who died after allegedly being tortured in police custody over a reported jewellery theft. The incident has sparked widespread public outrage and a judicial probe.

Read more: "Even Murderer Will Not Attack Like This": Madras High Court On Tamil Nadu Custodial Death

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, while hearing the Ajith Kumar case, made scathing observations, remarking that "even a murderer wouldn't be attacked like this." In a significant move, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin ordered a CBI probe, stating that the investigation must be above suspicion.

So far, five police personnel have been arrested, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) has been suspended, and the Superintendent of Police (SP) has been placed under compulsory wait.

Tamil Nadu has recorded over 20 custodial deaths in the last four years. While the ruling DMK government has termed such incidents as "unpardonable" and claims stringent action is being taken in each case, critics and human rights activists argue that these repeated cases point to a deeper systemic rot.

The recurring emergence of videos and allegations of custodial violence raises troubling questions about human rights violations by law enforcement and the efficacy of sensitisation efforts by the state to prevent such abuse of power.