The DMK-led government in Tamil Nadu suspended an inspector in Dindigul after a purported video of a farmer consuming poison inside a police station went viral on social media.
What happened in Dindigul?
The 50-year-old farmer, Pandi, from Kullalagundu near Kodai Road, died allegedly after consuming poison inside the premises of Ammayanayakanur police station in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu. The incident took place on 7 February.
A video has surfaced which purportedly shows Pandi sitting on the stairs of the police station, gradually losing consciousness, with station Inspector Shanmugalakshmi standing next to him. The officials at the police station are being accused of negligence. They were allegedly speaking on the phone and chatting with each other instead of taking the collapsed Pandi to hospital.
What Made the Farmer Take Such an Extreme Step?
Three people from the Pallapatti area, Shankar, Nachiappan, and Chinna Karuppu, reportedly attempted to encroach on Pandi’s land and threatened to kill his son Sathis Kannan on 13 April, 2022.
Pandi filed a petition with the Nilakottai Magistrate Court in December 2022, demanding action against the trio.
Upset over the cops’ alleged inaction, Pandi went to Ammayanayakanur police station on 7 February, 2023 to lodge a complaint, but in vain. Distressed by his plight, he consumed poison on the premises of the station. Despite treatment at the Government Hospital in Dindigul, he died on 9 February.
Dindigul Superintendent of Police V Baskaran launched an investigation into Shanmughalakshmi's handling of the land-grabbing complaint. On 13 February, Baskaran ordered her transfer to the Armed Reserve Police. Shanmughalakshmi was suspended after the video went viral.
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