Tamil Nadu: Tuticorin victims’ kin won’t accept body, want murder case on police

TIRUNELVELI: “We don’t want the Rs 20 lakh from the government. Give us back our father and brother alive. How can a sister even explain the torture her brother endured?” said a distraught Persis, the elder daughter of Jayaraj, who along with his son Bennix, died following alleged custodial torture in Tuticorin within hours of each other on Monday night. The father and son were in lockup at the Sathankulam police station the entire night on Friday after being picked up for keeping their shop open beyond the permitted time. Postmortem on their bodies was performed by doctors in the presence of a judicial magistrate here on Wednesday, following inquest with the relatives.
Besides Persis, 34, from Vijayawada, Jayaraj’s other daughters Beulah, 30, from Pollachi and Berlin, 26, from Chennai were also waiting for the formalities to be completed. The family and relatives were firm on their stand that they would receive the bodies only if the police officers and personnel at the Sathankulam police station are booked for murder and dismissed from service. “We will take a call on receiving the body after autopsy based on the assurance they give,” says P Pon Sekar, one of Jayaraj’s sons-in-law.
Persis and insisted that everyone in Sathankulam police station should be booked for double murder and torture. “It should not happen to another family. We want it in writing. What did the doctors at the Sathankulam GH and court observe when they were produced before them? The CM should help our family get justice,” she said.
Earlier, Kovilpatti judicial magistrate-I M S Bharathidhasan, who conducted the inquest, assured the family a fair probe and justice. A senior police officer told TOI that during the videoconference with district collectors and police heads earlier in the day, the chief minister spoke about the incident. “The CM said that all the good work done by the government will be in vain when such incidents,” the officer said.
In a statement, the CM said the government will take legal action based on the report of the inquest and orders to be pronounced by the high court that took cognisance of the issue. He also announced compensation of Rs 20 lakh to the family and a government job for a relative based on their qualification. Most shops in Tuticorin district and many in Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari were closed to extend support to the one-day closure announced by the Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangangalin Peravai. Lawyers and political parties organised protests in various districts.