In Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, P Jayaraj and his son J Bennicks were taken into questioning after supposedly acting against lockdown rules. The two were then killed while in police custody, and were reportedly also sexually assaulted during their time with these authorities.

On June 19, Jayaraj (aged 59) and Bennicks (aged 31) were taken into questioning by cops in the Sathankulam police station, allegedly having broken lockdown restrictions by keeping their mobile accessories shop open after permissible hours. They had an FIR (First Information Report) filed against them that same day.

The police from Sathankulam then proceeded to approach Magistrate B Saravanan for the remand of Jayaraj and Bennicks. Apparently, the magistrate gave the order without physically seeing either of the men, which is a requirement in order to determine whether or not detainees are injured.

However, reports on this last event seem to vary. Other sources are saying that in the early hours of June 20, both men were taken to a hospital and then brought before the magistrate for the remand order. Once in front of the magistrate, Jayaraj and Bennicks had to lie about their situation because they had received numerous threats from the police.

Apparently Bennicks became sick on June 22, causing him to be moved to Kovilpatti General Hospital where he passed away. Just a day later on June 23, Jayaraj also died. The claim is that they were tortured by the police while they were in custody, giving them injuries that led to their deaths. Some are saying that they were also sexually assaulted during their time with the police.

A news site based in Chennai named The Federal has quoted eyewitnesses in saying that Jayaraj and his son were sodomized while in custody. The person who provided this statement to the news site was a friend of Bennicks; they were present when the father and son came out of prison, saying that they left in a disheveled state with bloodied clothes.

“Between 7 am and 12 pm on June 20, the father and son had changed at least seven lungies (waist cloth) each as they had become wet due to blood oozing from their rectums.”

A friend of Bennick’s via The Federal

The friend was on the spot in the police station when both men were rounded up. They said that for three hours, all they heard were the screams and cries of Jayaraj and Bennicks.

Details of this case soon became public, causing outrage all over Tuticorin. Some shops within this district didn’t open in order to protest police brutality And there was also a protest at the Virugambakkam market, which over 150 people attended. However, 50 of these people were then arrested for violating lockdown restrictions.

The men’s family has demanded that there be a murder case registered against two sub-inspectors allegedly responsible for the murders. Relatives have stated that they will not accept either of the bodies until said murder case exists. They aren’t alone in the demand for justice, as several political parties, including the DMK, have also demanded actions against the perpetrators.

Seeing the public reaction, the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court instructed the police to submit a report within the next month over the duo’s death. What jail authorities are claiming is that Bennicks was already bleeding when he was brought to prison.

The hashtag “#JusticeForJayarajAndBennicks” is now trending on Twitter, with several Bollywood personalities including famed actress Priyanka Chopra expressing their opinions over the matter. They have all stated that they are shocked and outraged at the event.

Actress-politician Khushbu Sundar was also on Twitter demanding justice for the pair. “Will we and can we see law taking its course and punishing the guilty without any further delay in #Jeyaraj and #Fenix* case? The culprits cannot and should not get away. A family has lost their most loved ones. Justice delayed is justice denied. #JusticeForJeyarajAndFenix” (At first, Bennicks was mistakenly referred to as “Fenix”).

More and more celebrities are joining the cause, including Taapsee Pannu, Genelia Deshmukh, Riteish Deshmukh, Parineeti Chopra, and Kiara Advani.

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Link to a petition for change:

http://chng.it/Fb4jNHrm8Q

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Sources: