A painter in Chennai set himself ablaze on Sunday, 2 August, after he was beaten up by a police inspector for not paying rent. He was admitted at Kilpauk Government Hospital with more than 80 percent burn injuries and succumbed to it later.
Srinivasan, a painter who was living with his family in Puzhal in the city, was not able to pay rent for four months as he had lost his job due to the coronavirus lockdown.
His house owner had lodged a complaint at Puzhal police station as he had asked Srinivasan to vacate his rented house.
Srinivasan had alleged that the police inspector had come to his house and beat him up, reported India Today.
An investigation is underway and the inspector has been suspended.
This news comes just a month after the custodial death of 58-year-old Jeyaraj and his 31-year-old son Emmanuel Beniks in Tamil Nadu’s Sathankulam town in Thoothukudi district which sparked massive outrage over police brutality in the state.
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