Madurai Court Sentences 9 Police to Death in 2020 Custodial Case

A court in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, sentenced nine police personnel to death on April 6 for their roles in the 2020 custodial deaths of a father and son in Sathankulam, Thoothukudi district. The ruling marks a rare instance of capital punishment for law enforcement officers in a case involving alleged brutality during the COVID-19 lockdown.

The victims, 59-year-old trader P. Jayaraj and his 31-year-old son J. Bennix, owned a mobile phone shop in Sathankulam. On June 19, 2020, police arrested them for allegedly keeping the shop open beyond permitted hours under lockdown restrictions. Jayaraj was detained first, and Bennix went to the Sathankulam police station to inquire about his father, leading to his arrest as well after an altercation. Both were subjected to severe physical assault in custody that night, including beatings with lathis while restrained, according to prosecution evidence presented during the trial.

The assaults caused extensive injuries, including blunt force trauma and heavy bleeding. Bennix died on June 22, and Jayaraj on June 23, while in judicial custody at Kovilpatti sub-jail. Postmortem reports confirmed the deaths resulted directly from the custodial...