The kin of A. Murugesan, a 47-year-old farmer who died after being assaulted by a special sub-inspector in Salem district, have demanded higher compensation and other assistance from the government. They said the ₹10 lakh solatium announced by the Chief Minister was not adequate.
T. Sivan Babu, a relative of Murugesan, who witnessed the incident and captured the brutality on his mobile phone, said the family would not be able to make ends meet with the announced compensation.
“Murugesan had taken loans for farming and if he was alive, he would have earned this amount in two years,” he said.
“He was the sole breadwinner of the family. His wife, Annakilli, now has to single-handedly bring up three children,” he said.
Murugesan is survived by three children, Jeyapriya, 18, Jeyabrindha, 12, and Kavipriyan, 13.
A. Duraisamy, brother of Murugesan, and other family members demanded a government job for Annakilli and financial assistance for the education of the three children.
A judicial magistrate inquiry is under way in the case.
‘Violation of rights’
AIADMK coordinator O. Panneerselvam on Thursday termed police assaulting members of the public as a “violation of human rights”.
In a statement, he referred to the recent case of a policeman beating a farmer to death in Salem district and a couple of other incidents where the police were reported to have assaulted a construction worker in Virudhunagar and a differently abled person in Tenkasi.
