A protest by the RTI activist group 10 Rupee Movement on Saturday, June 21 called for justice in the case of the custodial torture and deaths of the father-son duo of Jayaraj and Bennix in Thoothukkudi in 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Bennix, a mobile phone repair shop owner, and his father Jayaraj died on June 22 and 23, 2020 respectively, just hours apart, after being picked up by the Sathankulam police on June 18 for allegedly violating the 8 pm curfew. CCTV visuals later confirmed that the father and son had not breached curfew.
The Madras High Court had taken suo motu cognisance of the incident, and the case was handed over to the CBI, which booked 10 police personnel, including two sub-inspectors—Raghu Ganesh and Balakrishnan—as well as Inspector Sridhar, all attached to the same police station.
The protest on Saturday demanded justice, which has been delayed for the past five years. The protesters included Jayaraj’s wife and daughter, who expressed anger over the alleged continued paid suspension of the accused officers due to the non-closure of the internal inquiry by the Police Department.
“If a government employee is under suspension, and the disciplinary proceedings are pending for a prolonged time without conclusion, then the suspended officer shall be paid subsistence allowance, generally fixed at 75% of the last drawn basic pay,” states a government order dated August 4, 2022.
In response to an RTI request filed by the 10 Rupee Movement, asking if the accused officers were receiving remuneration under this scheme, it was stated that such information was personal to the individuals and could not be disclosed.
The protesters stated that even while the accused were suspended, the internal inquiry remains pending into the fifth year after the incident, and the officers continue to receive their salaries as suspended officers. The government order also mentions a time frame for each step of the inquiry process, which comes to a maximum of 162 days as a recommendation.
“They destroyed my family but these police officers continue to receive all the support from the police. When they appear in court, they are treated with the utmost respect and act with the same arrogance, even though they brutalised and killed my brother,” said Berlin, Bennix’s sister.
Meanwhile, Special Sub-Inspector Pauldurai, one of the accused, had died of COVID-19 after being hospitalised on November 24, 2021. The SSI’s son received a mercy posting after his death.
“The dead accused was given state honours like a great martyr. While so many youth are looking desperately for a job, the son of an accused was appointed,” said Tesma Veerpandian, state deputy general secretary of the 10 Rupee Movement.
Stating that another incident of this sort should never happen again, Sundar, an organiser from another civil society organisation, Gandhiyavadi Sasi Perumal Aadaravu Madhu Olippu Poralikal, said, “The punishment given for this crime should be exemplary to ensure that. This protest is not just for one family... it is for all people, to ensure that such an incident does not repeat in the future,” said
The case in the High Court is still pending, said Vinod, Jayaraj’s youngest son-in-law. The 52nd witness out of a total of 132 is currently being examined. The last hearing was on June 18, with the next one posted for June 25. The family is planning a protest in the meantime on June 22, in front of Bennix’s shop in Sathankulam.