Yet Another Case of Police Arrogance, Negligence, and Abuse of Power
Chennai | February 3, 2025
In a strong decision against police wrongdoing, the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has held the Tamil Nadu police responsible for forcing a young man to end his life and has ordered the state government to pay ₹3 lakh as compensation to his mother. The victim, Radhakrishnan, jumped into the Adyar river in August 2018—an act that could have been prevented if the police had not pushed him towards his tragic fate.
SHRC member V. Kannadasan made it clear in his ruling. He not only recommended disciplinary action against the main accused, then Sub-Inspector P. Vijayarangan of the J2 Adyar Traffic Police Station, but also held him directly responsible for Radhakrishnan’s death. The Commission’s investigation found that the policeman’s behavior was a direct cause of the incident.
A System Designed to Crush the Powerless
The events leading up to this tragedy are a clear reminder of how state power is used against ordinary people.
According to the complaint filed by L. Revathi, the victim’s mother, the police forcefully took the keys to her son’s two-wheeler during a so-called vehicle check. Radhakrishnan refused to hand them over. As the argument grew worse, he warned the police that he would jump into the river if they continued to threaten him. And what did the police do? They laughed and told him to jump.
And he did.
Let that sink in.
A man took his own life because those meant to ‘protect and serve’ chose to insult, intimidate, and push him to the edge instead.
Police Lies and Cover-Ups—A Familiar Story
During the hearing, the police—unsurprisingly—denied all allegations. Their usual excuse of “we did nothing wrong” fell apart after clear evidence was found by the SHRC’s investigation. The report confirmed that Vijayarangan grabbed the bike key and, when the victim threatened to jump, told him to go ahead instead of calming him down.
Worse, even after Radhakrishnan jumped, the officer did nothing to save him.
Let’s call this what it is—a death caused by police neglect and cruelty.
Will There Be Justice?
The SHRC has ordered compensation, but will there be real action? Compensation is a small fix—money given after an irreversible loss. The real question is: Will Vijayarangan lose his job? Will the system be held responsible?
Or will this be yet another case where a mother suffers alone while the system moves on, protecting its own and ignoring the people?
We already know the answer.
(For those in distress, help is available through Tamil Nadu’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416, and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050.)
