The cold death in custody, which occurred 32 years ago at the Kammapuram Police Station in Vridhamam, in the South Arcot district (today’s Cuddalore), has worrying parallels with recent illegal retention and murder Ajith Kumar, temple security guard, in the Sivagang district.
In March 1993, Kadirvel Padayachi, a locally influential man, filed a complaint at Kammapuram, which was based on his house from 43 sovereign jewelry. He claimed that some members of the Kuravar community from the nearby village were seen in this area.
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Based by Anthonisami and five police officers who acted on the complaint, they visited the Rajkanna House, an agricultural worker from the Kuravar community on March 20. Rajakann was not at home, so they held them up his wife Parvathha, and brought them to his station (55) and brought them to the station (55) and brought them to the station and brought them to the station and brought them to the station and brought them to the station and brought them to the station. All four were defeated by Latchis.
When Rajakann learned of his detention, he threw himself at the station around noon 21 March. The police detained him and released others.
The next day, when Parvathy returned with food, she found that her husband undressed, tied up with the window bar and was beaten. He collapsed during the attack, but the police continued. “When I asked them, I was beaten again and I couldn’t even breathe,” she remembered later in court.
As his condition deteriorated, a doctor of homeopathy was convened. He submitted and applied ointment to Rajakannu’s wounds. After the doctor left, the police restored torture. Later they ordered the party to leave.
Around 6 pm Parvathy returned to her village just to hear from the locals that the police had come earlier and claimed that Rajakanna had escaped from custody.
Parvaty, who was afraid of the worst, sent telegrams (used in the Democratic Days). She claimed that the police had killed their husband and destroyed his body to cover the crime.
Rajakann remained missing in a month.
With the help of her lawyer K. Chandra – who later became the judge of the Madras High Court – Parvathy filed the Habeas Corpus petition, looking for Rajakann’s production in court.
The police claimed to have escaped, and a case of a “missing person” was registered. However, the court decided to further prob. During the CB-CID probe, IPS officer B. Perumalsama, who led the agency, encountered a case at the Meensutty police station in the neighboring Tiruchi-round district of 40 km far-found was found an unidentified male body near the temple a few weeks earlier.
The body was photographed before the post-Mort was performed. The autopsy revealed several injuries, including broken ribs. The doctor concluded that death was caused by shock and bleeding and that all injuries were mortar. “External injuries 1 to 4 could be caused by beating lathi. Fracture of the ribs may be caused by growing and digging on the chest. External injury 1 to 4 are simple, while the fracture of the ribs is heavy. Death would occur 24 to 36 hours before the autopsy,” the doctor noted.
The photos confirmed that the body was Rajakann. Police Kammapuram invented an escape story, took Rajakannnu’s naked body, and threw him away from the crime scene to avoid control.
“Identification of the dead body and the cause of death, death period and other circumstances, along with the report presented before us, published crimes punished for various numbers, including Section 302, IPC and 302 Reading with Section 34, Section 218 and 220, noted IPC instead
The renowned Tamil film Jai Bhim (2021) was based on Rajakann’s life. While the film ends with a hopeful remark, in fact, Rajakann never returned.
As the High Court noted in 1994: “This case is only one such examples where, after filing a complaint after filing a complaint, men in power and higher police officers and the occasional approach of the courts … they cause a serious blow to the truth …
In the end, the police participated were convicted and sentenced to imprisonment.
In the ironic parallel with the case of Ajith Kumar, the missing jewelry was never traced in the case of Rajakann.
Published – 9 July 2025 06:30
