Chennai/New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Saturday filed a chargesheet against nine then officials of the Tamil Nadu Police in connection with two cases it registered over the custodial deaths of father-son duo P. Jeyaraj and J. Benniks.
A CBI spokesperson R.K. Gaur said in Delhi that the agency filed the chargesheet against 9 then police officials namely — S. Sridhar, then Inspector and SHO, K. Balakrishnan, then SI, P. Raghuganesh, then SI, AS. Murugan, then HC, A. Samadurai, then HC, AM. Muthuraja, then Constable, S. Chelladurai, then Constable, X. Thomas Francis, then Constable and S. Veilumuthu, then Constable — all of Sathankulam Police Station in Tamil Nadu. He said that the agency filed the chargesheet in a Madurai court under several sections of the Indian Penal Code.
According to the CBI official one accused, then a Sub Inspector, died during investigation. The CBI registered two cases on July 7 related to the allegations of custodial death of the father-son duo of traders in Tamil Nadu’s Kovilpatti on the request of the Tamil Nadu government and further notification by the Centre.
After registering the case, a CBI team camped continuously at Madurai and worked on the cases even through the Covid-19 pandemic. A CBI official linked to the probe said that nine members of the CBI team in Madurai investigating the case also tested positive for Covid-19.
“The CBI investigation revealed that the father-son duo were arrested in the evening of June 19 and allegedly tortured at the Sathankulam Police Station by the accused in the evening as well as in the intervening night, consequent to which both of them succumbed to the injuries and died in the intervening night of June 22-23,” Gaur said.
Another CBI official said that investigation by the agency established that to cover up their deed the police personnel not only destroyed the evidence of torture but also registered a false case against the father-son of not closing their mobile shop after the permitted time.