The death of 27-year-old Ajith Kumar has officially been declared a case of custodial death, following a judicial inquiry ordered by the Madras High Court. The investigation has sent shockwaves across Tamil Nadu, with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) now leading the probe into allegations of extreme police brutality.

On Tuesday, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court instructed Director of the CBI to appoint an investigating officer within one week to probe the custodial death of Ajith Kumar. Further, the court directed that the investigation be completed and a final report submitted to the jurisdictional court by August 20.

Ajith Custodial Death In Sivaganga 

Ajith, a native of Sivagangai district, was detained on June 27 in connection with a complaint filed by a woman named Nikita and her mother from Alampatti, Madurai. The women alleged that 9.5 sovereigns of gold jewellery had been stolen from their car while visiting a temple, during which Ajith had briefly assisted them with a wheelchair and parking.

Later that day, Ajith was picked up by the police for questioning. The visuals that surfaced shortly after showed officers repeatedly assaulting him with sticks. He was allegedly taken to a cowshed and was continously hit. He died the next day in custody.

While police initially attributed Ajith’s death to an epileptic seizure during an escape attempt, a post-mortem report shattered that claim. The autopsy recorded 44 injuries, including blunt force trauma and internal bleeding — evidence that directly pointed to severe physical abuse. The Madras High Court, overseeing the inquiry, commented, as per a report on PTI: “Even an ordinary murderer would not have caused this much injury to a person.”

Five police personnel have been arrested so far.