Jeyaraj (left), her son Bennix died due to alleged police torture in the city of Sathankulam, near Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu.

A week after the death of a father-son duo due to alleged police torture in Tamil Nadu, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) notified the state DGP and SP of the Thoothukudi district on Wednesday.

In a tweet, the NHRC said it sought a report from police officers, which should “include an investigative report, a post mortem examination report, a medical treatment record, a masterly investigation report, and an evaluation report of health of both victims, within 6 weeks. ” .

The death of P Jeyaraj (62) and his son J Bennix (32) in the city of Sathankulam, near Thoothukudi, sparked a nationwide scandal with the state government passing an order to transfer the investigation of the deaths to the Central Research Office (CBI). A preliminary police investigation had found serious injuries to his private parts. A senior police investigation official said initial findings show that the two were stripped, tortured overnight from June 19 to 20, and with a cane inserted into the rectum.

The magistrate appointed by the Madras High Court to investigate the alleged deaths in custody wrote to the court saying that officers at the police station in question had destroyed evidence, failed to cooperate in the investigation, and attempted to intimidate the judicial team. The magistrate’s note to the Superior Court confirms the torture allegations, saying that the witnesses stated that “both the father and the son were beaten by lathis throughout the night, until dawn …”.

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The police action against Jeyaraj, belonging to the powerful merchant community of Nadar, stemmed from a discussion he had with the police on June 19 at night about keeping his mobile phone shop in Sathankulam open beyond the deadline of 7 pm, established as part of the measures to address the coronavirus pandemic. After a patrol team brought Jeyaraj to a local police station, Bennix arrived there with a friend and was also detained. Two days later, they were both dead.

No officer has been booked on murder charges, even when two FIRs have been filed. Four police officers, including two deputy inspectors, were suspended. The station inspector has been transferred. The state government has announced a compensation of Rs 20 lakh for the victim’s family, while Thoothukudi MP from DMK Kanimozhi declared a compensation of Rs 25 lakh for the family.

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The state government also appointed two new police officers to replace SP Thoothkudi, who was diverted, and the Southern Zone IG, who retired from service.

From now on, Tirunelveli CB-CID DSP Anil Kumar will take over the investigation into the deaths of Jeyaraj and Bennix, following orders from the High Court. While the state government transferred the case on Monday night to the CBI, the court said the CB-CID should investigate, following concerns about the possibility of evidence disappearing before the CBI takes over.