Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], July 1 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday said that the state government will transfer the investigation of the alleged custodial death of Ajith Kumar in Sivaganga district to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
CM Stalin said that the Tamil Nadu Government will provide full cooperation for the CBI probe.
Informing about the decision, Chief Minister Stalin said, "Considering that five members of the police department have been accused in this matter, and to ensure that no doubts or suspicions arise regarding the investigation, I have ordered that the case be transferred to the CBI. The Tamil Nadu Government will provide full cooperation for the CBI probe."
Chief Minister further called the actions of officers involved in this incident "unacceptable" and "unforgivable".
"Let this serve as a stern warning. Such acts must never happen again, anywhere, at any time. The police force must always act in a manner that safeguards the trust of the public who approach them seeking solutions to their problems," Chief Minister Stalin said.
Expressing grief over the incident, Stalin assured the family of Ajith Kumar that a fair, transparent, and unbiased investigation will be carried out into the matter.
"Strict action would be taken against those responsible. Justice will be delivered to the family who has lost their beloved son and brother," he said.
Earlier today, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and actor turned politician Vijay had demanded a High Court-monitored probe into the alleged custodial death of Ajith Kumar in Sivaganga district, while holding Chief Minister MK Stalin, who is also the state's home minister, responsible for it.
He claimed that the police department, under the "direct supervision of MK Stalin" acts in a "cruel, utterly inhumane and unjust manner towards ordinary citizens."Vijay also alleged that the state government initially shielded the accused and only took action after the High Court intervened.
"This incident starkly highlights the extent to which the Tamil Nadu Police Department, operating under the direct supervision of the Home Minister, Mr. M.K. Stalin, acts in a cruel, utterly inhumane, and unjust manner toward ordinary citizens, functioning as an unethical institution. It is widely known that the Tamil Nadu government initially tried to protect the culprits," Vijay's post read.
The Madras High Court's Madurai Bench had heard a suo motu case concerning the alleged custodial death of Ajith Kumar, a temple security guard who allegedly died in police custody in Tamil Nadu's Sivaganga district.
Kumar was picked up by the police for questioning following a complaint filed by two women, Sivakami and her daughter Nikitha, who alleged that about 10 sovereigns of gold jewellery had gone missing from their car.