CBI names ex-police officials in TN custody death chargesheet

Nine policemen have been named in a charge sheet filed by the CBI in a case of alleged custodial death of father and son in Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin district. The duo was allegedly tortured and beaten in the police custody which led to their deaths spraking nationwide outrage.

Tuticorin:The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a charge sheet against 9 former police officials including then station house officer (SHO), two senior Inspectors, four head constables and four constables of Sathankulam police station in Thoothukudi, for illegally picking up and torturing P Jayaraj and J Bennicks all night in June.

The father and the son died while undergoing treatment in a hospital and the incident sparked a wide national furore.

All the former police personnel have been arrested under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and are currently behind the bars. The then Sub-Inspector Pauldurai, who had died in jail due to COVID-19 infection has not been named in the charge sheet but his role has been mentioned in the alleged custodial deaths.

Earlier, CBI registered two cases on in July related to the allegations of custodial death of P Jayaraj and J Bennicks in Kovilpatti on the request of Tamilnadu Government and the Govt of India. The central agency stepped in the probe after the state government's interference which was initially registered with Kovilpatti police station. The CBI team was camped in Madurai continuously amid the on-going pandemic to handle the case.

The CBI investigation revealed that the father-son duo was arrested in June and allegedly tortured at the Sathankulam Police Station by the accused in the evening as well as in the intervening night of 19th and 20th June.

READ: Tamil Nadu govt transfers Tuticorin custodial death case to CBI

After investigation, a combined charge sheet was filed and further investigation is underway to probe the role of any other person involved in the case.

P Jayaraj (59) and his son J Benicks (31), were arrested on June 19 and lodged in Kovilpatti sub-jail for keeping their mobile phone shop in the Sathankulam main bazaar area open during a curfew imposed during coronavirus lockdown.

Jayaraju and Benicks were admitted to the Kovilpatti government hospital on June 22. While the son died on the same night, the father breathed his last on June 23 morning.

According to reports, two senior Inspectors were earlier suspended while departmental action was also taken against two chief guards of the jail.

The death of the duo had sparked protests across parts of Tamil Nadu with many people taking to the streets to demand justice and the incident triggering outrage on social media.