The list of police officials include constables as well as high-ranked officers
Amid nationwide outrage over the deaths of Jayaraj and Fenix in police custody, allegedly after they were brutally tortured, the Tamil Nadu police removed over 80 police officers in the Trichy range for want of "interpersonal skills" while dealing with the public, The Indian Express has reported.
"We are removing 80 police personnel in Trichy police range who need behavioral correction to improve their interpersonal skills. They are taken off duties involving direct public contact as their track record in that aspect is found wanting," Deputy Inspector General of Police (Trichy Range) V Balakrishnan said in a Facebook post.
"They will be gradually reintegrated into regular duties only after completing a specially designed course with CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) with a component to improve the way they deal with the public," the DIG added.
A senior police official told the newspaper that Balakrishnan had ordered to prepare a list of those officers who displayed behavioral issues with general public. According to the newspaper, the list of police officials include constables as well as high-ranked officers.
The report suggests that this step is being considered as a direct impact of what happened with the father-son duo at Thoothukudi and the subsequent uproar.
P Jayaraj and his son Fenix, arrested for 'violating' lockdown norms over business hours of their cellphone shop, died at a hospital in Kovilpatti on June 23, with the relatives alleging that they were severely thrashed at the Sathankulam police station by the personnel earlier.
The Crime Branch (CB)- Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has started its investigation into the case. The Madras High Court had directed the CB-CID to investigate the matter, even though the state government has handed over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).