Training of cops needed: Karti Chidambaram on Tamil Nadu custodial death
"It is gravely distressing. Custodial deaths are not happening for the first time in India, particularly in Tamil Nadu. It has been happening for many years and across governments. This is one of the legacies of our colonial past," he said."Police are using brute force to quell the people. The same traits and operating procedures were passed on to the police in independent India and they continue to use these brutal methods," he said.Calling for an attitudinal change in the police in dealing with sensitive matters, he said there should a holistic training of the police forces in India, beginning from the DGP to constable level."The only way to put an end to this menace is the wholesale training of police forces in India, particularly in Tamil Nadu. There should be sensitivity training. Everyone, including the DGP to newly-recruited constables, should undergo this training in a systematic manner," he said.Urging the Centre to step in and make police reforms, Chidambaram said professional police forces don't use third-degree methods to investigate a theft case.Asked if the Opposition would pick up his remarks to attack the ruling DMK, the Sivaganga MP reiterated that custodial deaths had been an issue across governments."This is not the first time such things are happening in Tamil Nadu. When the BJP's ally, AIADMK, was in power, the custodial deaths of (shopkeepers) Jayaraj and Bennix in Tirunelveli happened (in 2020). I am not blaming Edappadi K Palanisami for that. I am also not blaming the Chief Minister (MK Stalin) either. DMK can't be blamed for it," he said.He asserted that nobody took serious efforts to modernise the police forces in India.The Sivaganga MP said the Tamil Nadu government handed the Ajith Kumar custodial death case to the CBI."Let the CBI investigate it and give its report. Let's wait for their findings," Chidambaram said in response to a question about a SIT probe into the matter.ABOUT AJITH KUMAR CUSTODIAL DEATHadvertisementAjith Kumar, a 29-year-old working as a security guard at the Bhadrakaliamman temple in Tiruppuvanam was picked up by the police on June 27 evening for interrogation in connection with a jewel theft case. The following night, he was declared brought dead by police at the government hospital in Madurai.The post-mortem report, which was performed for nearly three hours from 5.45 pm of June 29, revealed that Ajith Kumar's body had about 44 external injuries to his legs, arms, abdomen and chest and at least 19 of these wounds were "deep and extended upto the muscle".It said that Ajith Kumar had multiple abrasions with dark red scabs on his forehead, right cheek, eyebrow, right leg, left elbow, forearm, wrist, ankle and upper chest. Injuries were found on his right side and left side of his head.Dried blood stains were noticed on both the ears and a brown-coloured fluid over both the nostrils and right angle of the mouth, the autopsy said.The death could have occurred about 12-24 hours prior to post-mortem, the report by forensic surgeons of the Madurai Medical College Hospital said.- Ends(with inputs from PTI)Must Watch
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