Tamil Nadu custodial deaths: Five policemen sent to two-day CBI custody

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday secured two-day custody of five policemen involved in the alleged custodial death of a father and his son in Thoothukudi district.

The CBI has taken over the sensational case from the CB-CID Wing of the Tamil Nadu Police which investigated the case for over a week.

Inspector Sridhar, sub-inspectors Raghu Ganesh and Balakrishnan and head constable Muthu Raj and constable Murugan were sent to CBI custody for two days after the agency made a plea before Principal District and Sessions Judge Hemant Kumar.

Though the CBI sought seven-day custody, the court granted the agency two-day custody of the policemen, who were arrested in the first week of July. The policemen are accused of torturing the father-son duo, who were arrested on June 19 over an argument with two cops near their shop in Sathankulam, 630 km from here.

P Jeyaraj (61), and Emmanuel Bennix (31), died of the injuries allegedly sustained during the custody three days later at a government hospital in Kovilpatti. Their deaths triggered a massive outrage and the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court took suo motu cognizance of the case and ordered a post-mortem in the presence of doctors appointed by it.

Even as the Tamil Nadu government transferred the case to CBI, the high court asked the CB-CID to step in till the time CBI takes over the case formally to prevent evidence from dissipating.

A total of 10 policemen have, so far, been arrested by the CB-CID.