A court in Tamil Nadu's Madurai district on Monday awarded the death sentence to nine policemen in connection with the custodial deaths of trader P Jayaraj and his son J Benicks in Thoothukudi district six years ago, a case that had triggered widespread outrage across the country at the time.
The incident dates back to June 19, 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown. Jayaraj and Benicks, who were running a mobile shop, were arrested by police on the allegation that they had kept their shop open beyond permitted hours. This claim was later found to be false. After their arrest, the two were taken to the Sathankulam police station and later remanded in judicial custody. Within a few days, both of them died.
Family members of the victims alleged that both men were subjected to assault throughout the night while in police custody. They pointed to injuries on the bodies, including rectal bleeding and other signs indicating severe physical abuse.
The case was later transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation following directions from the Madras High Court. The agency took over the investigation from the state's CB-CID.
During the probe, the CBI arrested 10 policemen, including an inspector, two sub-inspectors, and several constables. The agency also filed murder charges against the accused officers.
A key development in the investigation was the statement of a woman constable. She reportedly informed investigators that the father and son were assaulted during the night at the police station. She also mentioned the presence of blood stains on tables and lathis at the station.
Investigators also faced difficulties during the probe, including the loss of CCTV footage from the Sathankulam police station. The recordings were said to be automatically deleted each day and were not preserved, affecting evidence collection. Based on the findings and evidence presented, the court sentenced nine policemen to death in the case.
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