The Sekkanurani police station death case in Madurai district has been transferred to the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID), amid allegations by the deceased man’s relatives that he was assaulted by police and that the death was presented as a suicide.
According to a report by Dinamalar, Balakrishnan, a resident of Theni district, had approached the Sekkanurani police station after the truck he was driving caught fire. Police officials reportedly questioned his complaint and asked him to remain at the station because they suspected discrepancies in his account.
Balakrishnan was later found dead inside the police station toilet, where he was discovered hanging. The supplied report does not state the time of his death or provide details of any post-mortem examination, but the incident has prompted protests and demands for an independent investigation.
His relatives have rejected the possibility that he died by suicide. They have alleged that police personnel assaulted and killed him before attempting to portray the death as a suicide. These allegations remain claims by the family and have not been established as facts in the material supplied for this report.
The inspector who was on duty at the station and three other personnel have been suspended in connection with the incident. The report does not identify the suspended officers or specify the administrative order under which the suspensions were issued.
Opposition parties have criticised the incident and demanded that the Tamil Nadu government explain the circumstances surrounding Balakrishnan’s death. Their questions have focused on what happened inside the station, why he was asked to remain there, and whether the available evidence can establish the sequence of events before he was found dead.
The transfer to the CB-CID places the case with a specialised state police investigation unit. The report does not provide details of the sections invoked, the investigating officer, or a formal timeline for the inquiry. It also does not say whether any arrests have been made or whether the suspended personnel have been questioned as part of the investigation.
Closed-circuit television footage from the police station is also being examined. The recordings could be relevant to establishing Balakrishnan’s movements inside the premises, identifying the personnel who interacted with him, and determining the events leading up to his death. The supplied report does not state whether the footage is complete or whether investigators have announced any findings from it.
The CB-CID investigation will now determine the circumstances of the death and assess the allegations made by the family. Further findings are expected to depend on the CCTV examination and other evidence collected by the investigating agency.
