- An Indian court has sentenced nine police officers to the death penalty for the custodial deaths of a father and son during the Covid pandemic.
- P Jeyaraj, a 58-year-old trader, and his son J Benicks, 31, died within days of being detained by police in Tamil Nadu for allegedly keeping their mobile phone shop open beyond permitted hours.
- The trial judge described the deaths as a grave abuse of power, saying the officers acted “with the intention of killing” and tortured the unarmed men through the night.
- Investigators from the Central Bureau of Investigation concluded the officers inflicted severe injuries to “teach them a lesson” and attempted to cover up the crime.
- The case sparked widespread protests in 2020 and renewed scrutiny of police brutality and custodial violence across India.
IN FULL
