What transpired in Ambur 10 years ago

CHENNAI: With a district court in Tamil Nadu's Tirupattur holding 22 accused in the 2015 Ambur riots case guilty of the charges against them last week and acquitting over 100 due to insufficient evidence, the focus now shifts to the status of the incident which triggered the riots. DT Next gives a rundown of the events so far.

Overview

On August 28, 2025, the Tirupattur district and sessions court convicted 22 persons booked in the 2015 Ambur riots case, wherein a mob attacked police personnel and damaged public property in retaliation for the death of a Muslim youth after alleged custodial torture by the police. Charges against former Ambur MLA, Aslam Basha, who was one of the accused and the main instigator, according to the prosecution, were abated as he had died during the trial. The sentencing period for the accused varied from three years to up to 14 years, and fines amounting to Rs 4.2 lakh were imposed on the accused.

The court also ordered Rs 10 lakh compensation each for severely injured police personnel - Vijayakumar and Rajalakshmi - and Rs 1 lakh each for 28 other police personnel who sustained injuries. The compensation amount shall be recovered from the deceased MLA, Aslam Basha. by confiscating his property, the court held.

The Genesis

It all started with a 'Missing woman' case in 2015. Ironically, when the woman, the then 23-year-old P Pavithra, was found and produced before the Madras high court a month later, after an HCP (habeas corpus petition) filed by her family, she was not aware that her decision to walk out of her marital life had triggered a chain of events which she had least expected.

Excerpts from the proceedings at MHC on July 6, 2015

MHC: Did anyone illegally detain you against your will?

Pavithra: No

MHC: Are you willing to go back with your parents?

Pavithra: Yes. I would like to go with my parents. On the condition that they get me divorced.

MHC: Is divorce something that can be bought from a shop? If you want a divorce, there is a separate procedure for it. This court cannot provide you with that.

MHC: Do you know Shameel Ahmad?

Pavithra: Yes. We worked together

The Trigger

What sparked the unrest in Ambur was the death of Shameel Ahmed (26), who was allegedly detained illegally in police custody for four days in connection with the missing case. Shameel had earlier worked with Pavithra, and before fleeing home, she met him to borrow some money from him. This led the Pallikonda Police to suspect that Shameel was involved in Pavithra's disappearance, and he was 'interrogated' after being detained illegally, according to reports. After Shameel was let off from police custody, he was admitted to Vellore GH and moved to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai, where he died a week later.

Shameel's death triggered unrest in Ambur with several muslim youths gathering on the Chennai-Bengaluru highway, protesting against law enforcement. Police vehicles were torched, stones were pelted at police personnel and several women police personnel were abused and harassed by the volatile mob.

Observations from the Trial

The accused's counsel had argued that many women personnel were coaxed into deposing against the accused.

"Women are unlikely to restrain while identifying those who had outraged their modesty," Judge S Meenakumari observed in response to the argument by the defence counsel.

The court further highlighted the deposition from an Armed Reserve (AR) woman constable: "Muneer had pushed her down, humiliated her, removed her clothes, stabbed her with a knife, stabbed her in the back, and cut her under her right eye with a pen knife. The attacker then grabbed her private parts and kicked her repeatedly in her genitals. She begged him to leave her alone, saying she was not from this town and that she was deputed from Kancheepuram, and she was not aware of what transpired there, despite which the accused continued with his assault."

Muneer was sentenced to 14 years in jail.

Rioters punished, but what about the Inspector?

C Martin Premraj, then Pallikonda Inspector, was placed under suspension after Shameel Ahmed's death. A CB-CID probe was ordered into the alleged custodial torture. However, Martin went into hiding. In mid-2015, while CB-CID were looking out for Martin, he was arrested by forest officials in Nagercoil, allegedly while hunting deer. About 50 kg of deer meat, rifles, and ammunition were also picked up from Martin and associates.

Initially, the forest personnel were unaware that one of those secured was the suspended police inspector. The CB-CID has filed a final report against Inspector Martin Premkumar and six others. The trial is underway at the Principal district court, Vellore.