Sivaganga, June 30:

Six police officers in Sivaganga district have been suspended following the death of a 27-year-old temple security guard, Ajith Kumar, during police questioning.

Ajith worked as a temporary guard at the Madapuram Badrakaliamman Temple near Tirupuvanam. On June 27, an elderly woman, Sivakami, and her daughter Nikita from Madurai visited the temple. Nikita asked Ajith to park their car, but as he didn’t know how to drive, others helped park it. Later, he gave the car key back to Nikita.

After their visit, the two women found that gold jewellery kept in a bag inside the car was missing. Nikita filed a complaint with Tirupuvanam police. Ajith and a few others were taken in for questioning but released the same day.

However, Ajith was later taken again by another police team. During the second round of questioning, he complained of discomfort and was taken to a hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.

His death sparked outrage in the area. Villagers demanded the arrest of the officers involved and support for Ajith’s family.