Tamil Nadu opposition leader EPS has demanded an inquiry into reported deaths linked to police stations in Panruti and Sekkanurani, while calling for action against officials and stronger measures to prevent recurring crimes. His statement was reported on November 14 after a man brought to the Sekkanurani police station for questioning was reported to have died by suicide inside the premises.
According to the statement cited by Dinamalar, the man was Balakrishnan from Theni district. The report does not provide details of the circumstances leading to his death, the case for which he was brought to the station, or whether an official inquiry has been announced. Those facts were not independently established in the supplied material.
EPS also referred to a separate incident in the Panruti area in which a woman reportedly died after setting herself on fire at a police station. His statement called for a proper investigation into the station-related deaths and appropriate action based on its findings.
The incidents have raised questions about the safeguards applied when people are brought to police stations for questioning, including supervision, documentation, access to medical assistance and accountability for custodial conditions. The supplied report does not state whether either death has been formally classified as a custodial death, nor does it identify the investigating authority.
In his statement, EPS linked the incidents to wider allegations of law-and-order failures in the state. He also cited the unresolved investigation into the case involving a minor in Senji and referred to several theft and robbery cases, including a TASMAC robbery in Kancheepuram, where he alleged that the accused had not been identified. These claims were made as part of a political criticism of the state government and were not accompanied in the report by police data or official case updates.
The statement placed responsibility on the state government and questioned whether Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had been informed about the incidents. It called for strict steps to prevent repeated criminal activity and for accountability over deaths occurring in or around police premises.
Police stations are the first institutional point of contact for many citizens seeking protection, registering complaints or responding to allegations. When a person dies after being brought to a station, the credibility of the investigation depends on prompt disclosure of the circumstances, preservation of records and an inquiry independent enough to establish responsibility. The supplied report does not indicate whether such processes have begun in the Panruti or Sekkanurani cases.
The immediate next step sought by EPS is a formal investigation into both deaths, followed by action against those found responsible. No government or police response to the statement was included in the report.
