Tuticorin: Following the brutal episode of custodial death in Tuticorin district of Tamil Nadu, several theories have popped up alleging the use of 'friends of police' to instill torture upon Jayaraj and Fennix.
Friends Of Police (FOP) is ironically a community policing initiative that aims to bring police and public closer.
Speaking exclusively to ETV Bharat, Human Rights activist Henri Tiphagne said that volunteers under the FOP were given the batons to beat the father-son duo.
"This is the manner in which potential candidates to the police force are trained under FOP. These boys, when they come into force, they will remember this training," the Madurai High Court lawyer stated.
Explaining the brutality, Henri Tiphagne alleged that family was called up by the police and were asked to SPECIFICALLY bring white cloths as their clothes were soaked in blood.
"The mother spoke about six lungis(dhoti) being exchanged and the bloodstains are there in her house," the lawyer said.
Read: Relatives accept bodies of father-son; hope to get justice in Tamil Nadu
He further said that Jayraj and Fennix were supposed to be produced before the magistrate but they were kept in a vehicle inside the magistrate residence.
According to reports, the father-son of Jayaraj (56) and his son Fennix (32) were booked by the police for flouting the lockdown norms and for keeping their shop open till late in the evening till 7.30 pm June 19.
They were also booked for engaging in a verbal spat with the cops, which later turned ugly after the police insisted them to shut their shop citing lockdown rules. Locals alleged that Jayaraj, a timber trader, was beaten up by the police for opening his shop beyond the curfew time and was taken into custody.
Following this, Fennix, who has a mobile shop, went to the police station and asked for his father's release after which a scuffle broke out. The cops remanded both the father and son. Locals alleged that the father-son duo were badly beaten up due to which they succumbed to injuries.
After the incident, security has been beefed up and police forces have been tightened in the area to control the situation.
Read: Custodial death of father-son duo sparks tension in Tuticorin
The incident had triggered a furore in the state, leading to the suspension of four policemen, including two sub-inspectors.
Chief Minister K Palaniswami has said that since the High Court was monitoring the case, the future course of action will be based on its directions.
Meanwhile, in the backdrop of the force facing flak over the incident, the state police came out with a new set of guidelines regarding arrests and related matters during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), "except in heinous crimes, arrests may be deferred by the Police," a circular in this connection said.
