A Special Sub-Inspector of Police attached to the Theni DSP office died after being assaulted by youths he had confronted for bursting firecrackers on a public road at Samatharmapuram in Theni district, Tamil Nadu, around 10.30 p.m. on Sunday. The officer, Senthil Kumar, aged 56, was identified by police.
Senthil Kumar was returning home after duty in plain clothes when he saw a group of youths bursting crackers on the road, causing inconvenience to the public. He asked them to clear the road and tried to record their activities on his mobile phone, alerting the camp office control room to send a patrol team. When he tried to apprehend one of the youths, another person struck him with an elbow, and he collapsed.
A police patrol team that reached the spot rushed him to a private hospital in the area. He was then taken to the Government Medical College Hospital at G. Vilakku, where he died. Police said he had a history of heart-related ailments.
Police arrested three local youths in connection with the incident. Another report put the number of arrests at four, and investigators are working to establish the sequence of events and identify any others involved. Theni Superintendent of Police Praveen Gautham visited the scene and reviewed the situation with senior officers. Investigators have collected CCTV footage from the surrounding area to reconstruct the events.
Additional police personnel were deployed in Samadharmapuram through the night to prevent further disturbances and maintain order. Preliminary accounts indicated that the youths had blocked a public road while bursting firecrackers and recording social media reels, and that some of them were intoxicated. Police have not yet confirmed these details.
The death comes less than two weeks after a security breach at Thekkampatti jail in the same district. On October 26, 17 undertrial prisoners escaped after reportedly attacking prison staff, and all were later recaptured. Nine prison personnel were suspended for negligence, and the state government constituted a high-level committee under retired officer J.K. Tripathy to examine prison lapses.
The killing has raised concern over the safety of police personnel performing their duties. Police are continuing the investigation into the circumstances of the assault.