10 Jul 2025 : End custodial brutality, begin criminal justice reform

Editorial 1: End custodial brutality, begin criminal justice reform

Context

India is doing a disservice to both its citizens and its police force by prioritising enforcement while neglecting the much-needed reform that ensures accountability, empathy, and justice.

Introduction

In the shadowed corners of police stations across Tamil Nadu, justice often dies long before it can be delivered. The custodial death of Ajith Kumar, a 27-year-old temple guard from Sivaganga, is not an isolated incident—it is part of a disturbing pattern that should shake the conscience of every Indian. From 2021 to 2025, several such cases have surfaced, revealing systemic rot. In 2022, Vignesh, a 25-year-old detained in Chennai, died within hours—his autopsy revealed multiple injuries. In 2024, Raja, a Dalit cook from Villupuram, died in custody after being accused of petty theft; his widow and three children still await justice and compensation. In 2023, a 30-year-old autorickshaw driverin Tiruchi succumbed to injuries under suspicious circumstances. And now, Ajith Kumar, whose autopsy revealed 44 wounds, cigarette burns, and signs of forced narcotic exposure, died after uttering a heartbreaking plea to his mother: “I didn’t steal.” These cases are not anomalies—they reflect a systemic failure of accountability, compassion, and human dignity.

A normalisation of the use of force

• These custodial deaths are not aberrations; they are the product of a system that has normalised force over fairness.
• Beyond the moral horror, lies a deeper systemic issue — India is failing both citizens and the police by investing heavily in enforcement, but not in reform.
• Every year, the Tamil Nadu government allocates thousands of crores to policing.
• However, only a small fraction of this funding goes towards welfare, training, and psychological support for officers.
• A disproportionate share is spent on hardware — vehicles, surveillance systems, and crowd-control equipment— while the human needs of officers remain neglected.
• We arm the police with lathis and law books, but deny them the emotional tools needed to manage stress, trauma, and moral dilemmas.
• Policing cannot be reduced to control alone — it must be rooted in conscience, compassion, and ethical responsibility.

Reallocation of Policing Budget – A Long Overdue Reform

• A sensible redistribution of police funds is urgently needed.
• Even 5% of the current annual policing budget, if diverted toward mental health support and training reforms, could lead to significant improvements:

Suggested Allocation from Police Budget

• We currently invest heavily in deterrence tools, but overlook the cost of dysfunction and institutional decay.

Mental Health Must Be Institutionalised

• Mental wellness must become a standard component, not a luxury.
• Police officers are exposed to intense trauma daily — from domestic violence to politically sensitive cases.
• Without proper emotional support, this pressure can lead to:
  • Mental fatigue
  • Burnout
  • Brutality and misconduct
• The baton often reflects not just punishment, but unprocessed trauma.

Transforming Police Training

Strengthening Accountability Mechanisms

• Suspensions after each custodial death are reactionary and insufficient.
• What India urgently requires:
  • A comprehensive anti-custodial violence law
  • Time-bound investigation protocols
  • Mandatory video recording of all interrogations
  • Inclusion of civil society in oversight

Technology Must Be a Safeguard, Not a Spectator

• CCTV cameras in all custody areas should be:
  • Operational
  • Tamper-proof
  • Subject to real-time audits
• Digital surveillance must be used to ensure transparency, not to mask or ignore abuse.
• True reform demands the courage to face uncomfortable truths that technology may uncover.

Conclusion

We must urgently reimagine the police uniform, not as a symbol of unyielding authority, but as a representation of service, restraint, and human responsibility. The death of Ajith Kumar, along with those of Vignesh, Raja, and many others, is a grim reminder that power without empathy amounts to violence in another form. To truly break this cycle of abuse, it is not enough to reform the mechanics of policing alone. We must invest in the emotional, ethical, and structural transformation of our law enforcement system. Every custodial death is not just a personal tragedy—it marks the collapse of the state’s moral commitment to its citizens. We cannot wait for another young voice to cry, “I didn’t steal,” before being silenced forever. Justice should not be a reaction that arrives too late; it must be embedded in policy, and that time is now.