After a 47-year-old man was repeatedly beaten by police officers at a check post in Tamil Nadu’s Salem district on Tuesday, June 22, he succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday morning. The deceased is A Murugesan, a fruit stall owner from Salem’s Edayappati who ran his business in Vazhapadi. He was brutally assaulted by three officers at the Pappinaickenpatti check post under the Yethapur police station limits on Tuesday evening. The officers hit Murugesan with lathis until he fell unconscious.
A triggering video of the brutal assault has been circulating on social media. It shows the officers continuing to beat Murugesan with lathis until he finally falls unconscious. His friends try to plead with the policemen to stop hitting him. Murugesan too is heard saying “please stop beating me, leave me,” in the video clip. The video was shot by a local man. It shows other police officers watching the accused officer beat the man up until he stops moving. According to multiple reports, the attack began after Murugesan had an argument with the police in a drunken state, while he was returning to Salem in a two-wheeler after allegedly visiting a liquor store in Kallakurichi district.
Following the attack, Murugesan’s friends shifted him to the Primary Healthcare Centre at Thumbal and later admitted him to the Government Hospital at Attur. However, doctors at this hospital referred him to the Salem Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College and Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday morning.
The 47-year-old leaves behind a wife, two sons and a daughter. Following his death, his wife has demanded strict action against all the police officers responsible for Murugesan’s death. She added that he had left his house at 3 pm and was beaten up at around 5 pm on Tuesday. With the news of his death, several locals arrived at the Yethapur police station and demanded that action be taken against the officers. Based on the incident, the Special Sub-Inspector (SSI) who carried out the attack has now been arrested.
The incident is now being investigated by the district police under Abhinav IPS, Superintendent of police, Salem. Cases have been registered against three officers. This comes a year after the horrific custodial murders of Jayaraj and Bennix in Sathankulam, Tamil Nadu.