The Tamil Nadu government has announced Rs 10 lakh ex-gratia to Vignesh, the 25-year-old who died in the custody of the Tamil Nadu police. Vignesh, who used to offer horse rides at the city’s Marina Beach, was taken into custody by the G5 Secretariat Colony police station, along with Suresh, a construction worker, on April 18. Police said that the next day, Vignesh had a seizure and died while being taken to the hospital. The family has alleged foul play in his death.
Addressing the Assembly on Tuesday, April 26, Chief Minister MK Stalin said that in addition to the compensation to Vignesh’s family, the government will also bear the cost of Suresh’s treatment. He also told the Assembly that the probe into the custodial death case has been transferred to the CB-CID.
Earlier in the Assembly, AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam demanded that the state government transfer the custodial death case of Vignesh to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
TNM had reported how the Chennai police have been accused of trying to cover up the case, as they did not allow anyone except Vignesh’s elder brother and younger brother to see the body at the morgue. The police also refused to hand over the body to family members and took it straight from the mortuary after the post mortem to a crematorium on Thursday evening despite protests from the family. They later approached judicial magistrate Yashwantrao Ingersol who is heading the judicial probe, who in turn asked the police to allow the family to conduct the funeral as per their traditions. Vignesh’s body was buried at the Krishnampet graveyard.
Later, Vignesh’s elder brother Vinod also told TNM that the family was paid Rs 1 lakh by Vignesh’s employer who told them that he sourced the money from the police.