Tamil Nadu Cop Pushed, Assaulted After Argument Over Firecrackers, Dies

A Tamil Nadu police officer died after he was allegedly assaulted during an argument with a group of people bursting firecrackers on a road in Theni district, police said. 

According to preliminary investigations, special sub-inspector Senthil Kumar, who was in plain clothes, was returning home after duty on Saturday night when he noticed a group of people bursting crackers in the middle of the road.

He reportedly asked them not to burst crackers on the road and inconvenience the public. During an argument, one person allegedly pushed him and struck him with an elbow, following which Senthil Kumar collapsed.

He was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead.

Senthil Kumar was posted at the Theni Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) office and had a history of heart-related ailments.

A police official told NDTV that three people have been arrested in connection with the incident, while further investigation is underway.

Meanwhile, the Leader of Opposition in Tamil Nadu, Udhayanidhi Stalin, condemned the incident, alleging that multiple murders had taken place across the state on the festival day.

"In this incompetent government, nine people, including police personnel, have been killed in a single day. I strongly condemn this shameful government, where machete attacks have become louder than firecrackers on a festival day," Udhayanidhi Stalin said in a post on X.