Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Friday told the Assembly that judicial probes into most of the custodial deaths had come to the conclusion that policemen were not responsible for those untoward incidents.
Replying to a special calling attention motion on the death of gangster Gopal Duraisamy at the Kodungaiyur police station, she said Inspector Baskaran and Sub-Inspector Pandiaraja had been suspended for not taking precautionary measures while dealing with a person in custody.
Further action would be taken after the magistrate concluded the inquiry into the death of Gopal, who was picked up by the police on a complaint of attacking a person.
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Gopal was secured on Tuesday night and he died on Friday at a private hospital before being produced in the court.
The Chief Minister said that between 2013 and 2014, as many as 20 persons died in police custody and all the deaths were properly inquired into by magistrates.“In most of the cases, the deaths have been caused by heath conditions and officials have been suspended for being careless.”
These incidents could not be called as custodial deaths as some died while being taken to police stations, others committed suicide and some others died due to health reasons after being let off by the police.
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“If judicial inquiry finds fault with police personnel, action is taken against them,” she said.