The Fifth Tamil Nadu Police Commission has recommended strict disciplinary measures against police misconduct, particularly the brutal treatment of suspects, The Hindu reported on Sunday.

The recommendations come in the aftermath of the custodial death of B Ajith Kumar on June 29 in the Sivaganga district, after the police detained him on allegations of theft.

In its final report submitted to Chief Minister MK Stalin, the commission urged swift internal investigations and immediate disciplinary action in cases involving verbal abuse, failure to register genuine complaints, filing of false cases, unlawful detentions or arrests, biased investigations and selective law enforcement, The Hindu reported.

While the state government has not yet presented the report in the Assembly or indicated whether it will adopt the suggestions, the report assumes urgency following Kumar’s death.

The 29-year-old temple security guard was picked up by a six‑member special police team on June 27 over a theft at the Madapuram Badrakaliamman Temple. He was allegedly subjected to torture at remote locations that eventually led to his death on June 29, The News Minute reported.

However, it was unclear whether a first information report had been filed before Kumar was interrogated, according to The Hindu.

The post-mortem report revealed that Kumar had at least 44 external injuries in addition to signs of severe internal bleeding, The News Minute reported.

“So the total number of injuries far exceeds the ones mentioned, and we can’t say how many injuries there are in an area because they are overlapping,” the head of the forensics department where Kumar’s post-mortem examination was conducted told the news outlet.

Following public outrage and criticism by the Madras High Court, five police personnel were arrested and one was suspended over the incident, The Indian Express reported.

The commission said on Sunday that incidents of custodial deaths must be acted upon without delay. If preliminary findings suggest custodial violence, the case should be handed over to the crime branch of the Crime Investigation Department immediately, and disciplinary and criminal proceedings should be launched against the officers.

The report also recommended that vulnerable individuals, including women, children, those who are unwell and intoxicated persons, should never be brought to police stations. Medical checks must be mandatory for all detainees, and suspects should only be held in police stations with lock-up facilities.

The report also emphasised that police training should include sensitisation to the value of human life, regardless of a person’s socio-economic status.

The commission, led by former Madras High Court judge CT Selvam and senior serving and retired bureaucrats, also highlighted the need for strict adherence to the Supreme Court’s guidelines in the 2014 Arnesh Kumar versus State of Bihar case to reduce the number of avoidable arrests.

In the Arnesh Kumar judgement, the Supreme Court had held that accused persons should be arrested only in exceptional cases if their alleged crimes are punishable with less than seven years of imprisonment.

Instead, in such cases, the person accused in the matter should be served a notice under Section 41A of the Criminal Procedure Code asking them to appear before the police, the Supreme Court had held.