Sathankulam Custodial Deaths: 9 Policemen Sentenced To Death, Verdict Raises Questions On Police Reforms |
Even in a country inured to police violence, staged encounters and custodial murders, the torture and killing of a father and son in a police station in Sathankulam, Tamil Nadu, by a group of policemen six years ago caused shock and outrage.
The death of Jayaraj and his son Bennix, who ran a small mobile phone shop, took place after a night of horrific beatings and aggravated torture during the AIADMK regime, when the COVID-19 pandemic had just set in.
At the end of a closely watched trial, nine policemen have been sentenced to death for the custodial murders, and asked to pay Rs 1.4 crore as compensation to the family of their victims.
The father and son, arrested for keeping their shop open a few minutes beyond the lockdown timings in 2020,........