Tuticorin custodial death: Sitaram Yechury calls for action, says 'guilty must be booked'

Condemning the shocking deaths of a father-son duo in police custody earlier this week, Communist Party of India (CPI-M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury urged the state government to take immediate action and book those accountable for the incident. Calling the incident unacceptable, the CPI (M) leader said, "The guilty must be booked immediately and political accountability must be fixed for such heinous crimes. This is a must to prevent a repeat of such barbaric acts." 

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Tuticorin Custodial Deaths

P Jayaraj (59) and his son Bennicks (31) were picked up for questioning by the cops in Sathankulam police for violating lockdown rules on June 23. As per police, the duo kept their mobile shop open during the lockdown. They were allegedly beaten to death by the police and as per some reports, were also sexually assaulted in police custody.

This incident led to the state-wide uproar with more than a thousand people protesting in Sathankulam town in Thoothukudi district. The furore even spread to social media with #JusticeForJayarajAndFenix becoming a top trend on Twitter. Meanwhile, the state has suspended four policemen, including two sub-inspectors involved in the incident. 

The Madurai bench of Madras High Court on Friday asked Kovilpatti judicial magistrate to visit Kovilpatti branch jail, photograph administrative and medical records related to the case and CCTV recordings of the jail building. The court postponed the case for June 30. 

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