Chennai: As many 105 people were rounded up by the police in connection with Saturday night’s riots at Ambur police station in Vellore district following the death of a 26-year-old youth Shameel Basha, allegedly due to custodial torture. Sunday passed off peacefully without any untoward incident in Ambur. On Saturday, a large number of people from various Muslim outfits gathered in front of Ambur police station demanding action against police personnel of Pallikonda station where the victim was alleged tortured.
The agitated crowd started pelting stones at police vehicles and other vehicles on the Chennai- Bengaluru highway. Police resorted to lathi charge but the protestors went on to set police vehicles on fire. In the stone pelting incident, over 50 police personnel including policewomen were injured. “We have arrested 105 people in connection with damaging properties and booked them under various sections of IPC including for arson, unlawful assembly and preventing government employees from discharging their duties and assaulting them. All of them being remanded,” the police said.
The body of the deceased was buried during the small hours of Sunday at Ambur after post mortem was conducted at Chennai GH, where he died on Friday night without responding to treatment.
Shameel Basha, a resident of Ambur, who was working as a supervisor in a jewellery shop in Erode, was picked up by Pallikonda police for questioning after one of his female colleagues, Pavithra, a married woman and resident of Pallikonda, went missing in the second week of June.
He was allegedly detained by Pallikonda police team from June 15 to 18. He died at Chennai GH where he was admitted following health complications he reportedly developed while in police custody.
Shameel who had married nine months back, was picked up by Pallikonda inspector Martin Premaraj. Martin has been placed under suspension on Sunday by the state police headquarters here. Police had picked Shameel up because the missing woman was in contact with him. When the police released him on June 18, Shameel’s left arm was dysfunctional and his other arm was only partially able. He also had other health complications and was admitted to Vellore GH initially and later shifted to Chennai GH where he died.
