The Madurai district court has convicted nine police officers for the brutal custodial killing of P Jeyaraj and his son J Benniks at the Sathankulam police station in Thoothukudi district in June 2020. All nine police officers have been found guilty of murder. The quantum of punishment will be pronounced on March 30.
The father and son, who were mobile phone retailers, were illegally arrested on false charges and subjected to a brutal assault by a group of policemen, so savage that the CBI later found their blood splattered across the walls of the police station.
In this interview, Shabbir Ahmed speaks to victims’ relatives about the struggles to proceed the case, how effectively the state is responding to violent crimes, and how these developments affect public confidence in governance.