Students' Federation of India (SFI), Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) and Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front (TNUF) staged a protest outside Madurai District Collectorate on September 18, 2026, demanding justice in the death of Class 11 student K. Tamilselvan.
The protesters demanded that the investigation be transferred to the CB-CID and that the case, which is currently being investigated as a suspicious death, be registered as murder, as Daily Thanthi reported. Police detained protesters during the demonstration, according to the report.
Who was K. Tamilselvan?
Tamilselvan, 16, was a Class 11 student from the Koodal Pudur area of Madurai. He left home on September 6 around midday to spend time with friends but did not return, said the report.
His family then approached the Koodal Pudur police, who began searching for him. On September 7 Tamilselvan’s body was found in a waterbody, or kanmai, in the JJ Nagar/Abdul Kalam Nagar area of Madurai. Police found the body and sent it to Madurai Government Rajaji Hospital for post-mortem examination.
How did Tamilselvan die?
The circumstances of Tamilselvan’s death are still under investigation.
According to the first police line of inquiry reported by Daily Thanthi, Tamilselvan may have gone to bathe in the waterbody with friends and drowned. Police also suspected that some of the friends may not have immediately disclosed that they had gone to the waterbody with him. At the same time, police said they were investigating whether he could have been taken there and killed.
The Madras High Court was told that the cause of death could be determined after the post-mortem process. The court subsequently directed police to preserve relevant CCTV footage and investigate an audio recording related to the case.
Family Raises Foul-Play Allegations
Tamilselvan’s mother, K. Yogalakshmi, has questioned the circumstances surrounding her son’s death.
She alleged that Tamilselvan had been threatened and assaulted because he was close to a girl from another community. The family has alleged that he may have been assaulted and thrown into the waterbody.
These allegations have not been established as facts. Police have continued to investigate the death while the family has demanded that the case be treated as murder and transferred to the CB-CID.
Post-Mortem And Investigation
According to The New Indian Express, Tamilselvan's post-mortem report dated September 8 did not provide a final opinion on the cause of death at that stage. Samples were supposedly collected for chemical analysis and histopathology.
The police investigation was also transferred from the Koodal Pudur police station inspector to an inspector attached to the Sellur police station crime wing. The family, however, continued to demand a CB-CID investigation.
#WATCH | Madurai, Tamil Nadu: Members of the SFI, DYFI, AIDWA and TNUF staged a protest outside the Madurai District Collectorate over the death of Class 11 student K. Tamilselvan.
— ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2026
The protesters demanded that the investigation be transferred to the CB-CID and urged the police… pic.twitter.com/IzNMcKXkZR
Court orders CCTV And Audio To Be Preserved
The case reached the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court after Tamilselvan's mother sought a transfer of the investigation.
On September 18, the court directed police to preserve CCTV footage and listen to an audio recording of Tamilselvan’s friend and his mother. The case was also posted for further court hearing on September 24.
Protest At Madurai Collectorate
At this point, SFI, DYFI, AIDWA and TNUF members gathered in front of the Madurai District Collectorate on September 18.
They had demanded that the suspicious-death case be converted into a murder case and that the investigation be handed over to the CB-CID. Police detained protesters during the demonstration.
