2015 Ambur riots case: 22 convicted; 26 police personnel to get compensation

The District and Sessions Court here on Thursday convicted 22 persons in connection with riots that broke out following the death of 26-year-old Shameel Ahamed in 2015, who was taken in for questioning by Pallikonda police in connection with a missing woman’s case and later succumbed to injuries at a government hospital in Chennai.

Judge S. Meenakumari delivered the verdict, sentencing 22 persons in the case. Of the 22 convicted, two were given 14 years of imprisonment while others received jail terms between two years and seven years along with fine.

The Judge further said that a total of ₹4.22 lakh will be paid as fine by convicted persons to the State exchequer. “A total of 200 witnesses, including injured police personnel, were examined for the case. All charges filed against the suspects have been proved,” Public Prosecutor (PP) P.T. Saravanan, said.

Also, the Judge said that police personnel Rajalakshmi and Vijayakumar, who were attached to Arani Taluk and Ratnagiri police, respectively, will be given a compensation of ₹10 lakh each. The 24 police personnel who were injured in the incident should get a compensation of ₹1 lakh each. Tirupattur SP V. Shyamala Devi should ensure that the compensation gets deposited within a month.

The Judge also observed that the cost of compensation paid by the State government to the victims can be recovered by attaching properties of late A. Aslam Basha, the then MLA for Ambur constituency, who was also a suspect in the case.

The case relates to riots that broke out following the death of 26-year-old Shameel Ahamed, a resident of Ambur in June 2015, who was taken in for questioning by Pallikonda police in May in connection with the missing of P. Pavithra, 25, wife of S. Palani, a resident of Kuchipalayam village near Anaicut in Vellore.

After returning home, Mr. Ahamed complained of discomfort and was admitted to the government hospital in Chennai, where he died later. His relatives and Islamic organisations alleged that custodial torture by police had led to his death. The protest by them on Chennai – Bengaluru Highway (NH 48) in Ambur turned violent.

The Judge said that 11 government buses, four police vehicles, a TASMAC outlet and an ambulance were damaged during the riot. Ambur Town police station also came under attack before police resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the mob.

191 suspects

Police registered cases against 191 persons including under Sections 147 (Punishment for rioting), 148 (Rioting while armed with deadly weapon), 294(b) (Obscenity in public), 506(ii) (Serious forms of criminal intimidation), 353 (Assault to prevent public servant for discharging their duty), 324 (Voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons), and 307 (Attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Of the total 191 persons, only 177 persons survived, of whom 22 were convicted on Thursday. The Judge appreciated the efforts of Constable Raja for carrying the injured woman police personnel to safety during the riot and recommended the State government to honour police personnel who saved lives of people in the riot.