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The First Additional District and Sessions Court in Tamil Nadu's Madurai on Monday found nine police officers guilty of the custodial death of P Jeyaraj and his son J Beniks, which occurred in Sathankulam of Thoothukudi district in 2020, advocate Jaba Singh said.
On June 19, 2020, the father and son were taken into custody by Sathankulam police. They were allegedly subjected to brutal assault at the police station that night and were later remanded to the Kovilpatti sub-jail. Beniks died of injuries on June 22, while Jeyaraj succumbed the following day. A total of ten policemen, including Inspector Sridhar, Sub-Inspectors Balakrishnan and Raghu Ganesh, along with other personnel, were arrested in connection with the case and lodged in Madurai Central Prison. Jaba Singh, advocate representing the victim, told ANI that ten officers were accused in the case, of which one, Paldurai, died due to COVID-19. The sentence against the nine officers found guilty will be pronounced on March 30. Advocate Singh said, "I express my gratitude to the Central Government for the efficient functioning of the CBI. The judge has stated that out of the 10 accused, one has passed away, and the remaining nine have been found guilty. The judge has also announced that the details of the sentencing will be revealed on March 30." A family member of the victim, Persis, told ANI, "They have now been declared guilty. I have been waiting for nearly five years for justice--for punishment to be given to those who brutally killed my father and younger brother. This delay has been extremely painful. Yet, there is a sense of relief and peace in knowing that they have finally been declared guilty." According to the CBI investigation, Beniks had gone to the police station questioning his father's detention, which led to a confrontation. It is alleged that Inspector Sridhar instructed other policemen to "teach him a lesson", following which both were subjected to repeated custodial torture. The probe further revealed attempts to destroy evidence, including cleaning bloodstains at the station and disposing of blood-stained clothes after changing them multiple times. The CBI also stated that the victims had not violated lockdown norms and that a false case had been registered against them. The father-son duo was arrested on June 19 and was lodged in the Kovilpatti sub-jail for allegedly keeping their mobile shop open during a curfew imposed amid the COVID-19 lockdown. Jeyaraj and Beniks were admitted to the Kovilpatti government hospital on June 22, 2020. While the son died on the same night, the father breathed his last on the morning of June 23. (ANI)
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