TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The death of father and son in police custody in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, has caused public outrage after the victim’s family accused the police of torturing the two men in custody for violating lockdown corona virus.
P Jayaraj, 62, and his son J Bennix, 32, were jailed by police last Friday in the Thoothukudi district for breaking the corona virus lockdown rule in the state. The police accused them of opening their mobile phone shop past the curfew or past 8 pm.
Quoted from Al Jazeera, 28 June 2020, police claimed Bennix complained of chest pain and Jayaraj suffered a high fever when they were detained in the Kovilpatti sub-prison. They were taken to the Kovilpatti government hospital where the two died within hours of each other, police said.
But family members say that the two were tortured while in detention. They also accused the police of sexual violence against the victims.
“Jayaraj and Bennix were tortured again after they were taken to the police station, even when some of us watched from the entrance of the police station,” the relative told The Hindu newspaper.
P Jeyaraj, who works at his cellphone shop in the city of Sathankulam, was arrested on the night of June 19. Alleged Jeyaraj lockdown violations could be subject to a maximum of three months in prison if he is found guilty.
According to The Indian Express, Jeyaraj allegedly criticized the police patrol team on June 18 for forcing shop owners to close stores early due to lockdown rules. A car driver told police about Jeyaraj’s comments and the police team came the next day to arrest him.
After the police team put Jeyaraj in custody, his son named J Bennix, 32, came to the police station.
At the Sathankulam police station, a senior police officer said Bennix saw his father being tortured by an officer. Angry Bennix asked the police and tried to stop him or encourage him to protect his father from torture. “The action provoked the police team, they beat the father and son for hours. There were two sub-inspectors and two policemen on the torture team. A total of 13 officers were at the police station during the incident, including volunteers part of the Friends of Police,” said the officer.
On June 20, Jeyaraj’s family waited outside the police station until midnight and saw father and son in the morning in poor condition. They were taken to the Sathankulam government hospital. Jeyaraj’s veyti and Bennix pants are covered in blood. They were told to change lungi (sarong) many times in the hospital because of heavy bleeding. The police asked the family to bring a dark colored sarong.
After three hours in the hospital, they were then taken to Sathankulam court.
Joseph, Jeyaraj’s brother-in-law who witnessed the incident, said the judge waved his hand from the first floor of the building when the police team was standing outside. Both were sent in detention to Sub Kovilpatti Prison.
The family did not hear from the father and son until the evening of June 22, when they were transferred to the nearest government hospital. Due to continuous bleeding and severe external and internal injuries from alleged torture, Bennix died late at night on June 22, and Jeyaraj died at dawn on June 23.
Even when two case files had been submitted, no officer had been convicted of a murder charge. After anger and protest, four police officers including two sub-inspectors were suspended. The police station inspector has been moved. Judicial investigations are ongoing, while a post mortem report has been submitted to the Madras High Court and the court is awaiting a report from the police.
The second post mortem has not been released yet but initial medical reports indicate injuries to the victim’s body, according to local media reports.
“Their feet and hands were swollen, and Bennix was bleeding from the buttocks. (Jayaraj) suffered a severe injury to his knee. The police even requested new lungi because they were full of blood,” S Rajaram, Bennix’s lawyer and friend, told Bennix. The Straits Times.
..Seek Justice
Rebuke the oppressor ..
(Isaiah 1:17, NKJV)#JusticeForJeyarajAndFenix#JUSTICEFORJAYARAJANDBENNIX pic.twitter.com/2jTgBiTSnU– Venesh Vijayan K (@veneshvijayank) June 27, 2020
The state government, led by All India regional Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), promised compensation of 2 million rupees (Rp. 377 million) to the families of the victims.
A local court is monitoring an investigation into the case, which sparked protests in the state with the main opposition party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) calling for guilty punishment.
Tamil Nadu, one of the states most affected by the corona virus in India, continues to impose lockdowns to prevent the spread of the virus. More than 70,000 cases have been reported in the southern state with 911 deaths.
Most of India has loosened lockdown even though the number of corona virus cases reached half a million.
Please share & tag fwd so non-tamil-speaking people can understand what happened #JusticeforJayarajAndFenix @bhakisundar @ahmedmeeranoffl pic.twitter.com/nZ7klPzpsO
– Suchitra (@suchi_mirchi) June 25, 2020
The hashtag #justiceforjayarajandbennix has become a trend on Twitter. A video upload from a radio announcer named Suchi called for action against the police over alleged torture. Other Twitter users liken the case of father and son similar to the case of George Floyd in the United States.
The leader of India’s main opposition party condemned police brutality.
“Police brutality is a terrible crime. It is a tragedy when our protector turns into a bully. I extend my condolences to the families of the victims and ask the government to ensure #JusticeForJeyarajAndFenix,” India.
– .
