Police officer beaten to death during Diwali celebrations in Tamil Nadu’s Theni; four arrested
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Chennai: A police Special Sub-Inspector (SSI) was allegedly beaten to death by a group of intoxicated youths during Diwali celebrations at Samadharmapuram in Tamil Nadu’s Theni district late on Sunday night.
The deceased officer has been identified as Senthil Kumar. He sustained critical injuries after an altercation with the group over Diwali celebrations on a public road.
According to preliminary information, a group of youths had blocked the road, burst firecrackers and recorded videos for social media. An argument reportedly broke out between them and the police officer, following which some members of the group allegedly assaulted him.
Senthil Kumar suffered severe injuries and was rushed to hospital, but died before reaching the medical facility.
Police have arrested four persons in connection with the incident and launched an investigation to establish the circumstances leading to the fatal assault and identify any other individuals involved.
Theni Superintendent of Police Praveen Gautham visited the spot and reviewed the situation with senior officers.
Investigators have collected CCTV footage from the surrounding area to reconstruct the sequence of events and determine the role of each person involved.
Additional police personnel were deployed in Samadharmapuram throughout the night to prevent further disturbances and maintain law and order.
The killing of a serving police officer during Diwali celebrations has triggered widespread shock and raised concerns over the safety of personnel performing their duties.
The incident comes less than two weeks after a major security breach at Thekkampatti jail in Theni district, where 17 undertrial prisoners escaped on October 26 after allegedly attacking prison personnel.
All 17 prisoners were later brought back into custody. Nine prison personnel were suspended, while the state government constituted a high-level committee headed by retired DGP J.K. Tripathy to examine security lapses and recommend corrective measures.
The two incidents have brought policing and security arrangements in Theni under renewed scrutiny.
(Inputs from IANS)