The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday registered two cases in the deaths of a father-son duo who were allegedly tortured in a police station in Tamil Nadu’s Tuticorin for keeping their shop open in violation of lockdown timings.
A CBI team constituted for the probe is being sent to location for investigation.
Following chief minister K Palaniswami’s letter to home minister Amit Shah requesting a probe by the Central agency into the deaths of P Jeyaraj and J Bennicks, the Central government on Tuesday handed over the case to CBI for investigation.
Five police personnel including an inspector have been arrested so far.
P Jayaraj (59) and his son J Bennicks (31) were arrested on June 19 and lodged in Kovilpatti sub-jail for keeping their mobile phone shop in the main market of Sathankulam town open during a curfew imposed during coronavirus lockdown.
The father and son were allegedly tortured during the police custody after which they were admitted to the Kovilpatti government hospital on June 22. While the son died on the same night, the father breathed his last on the morning of June 23.
A policewoman is the only eyewitness in the case, and she told Judicial magistrate M S Barathidasan, who investigated the incident, that both Jayaraj and Bennicks were beaten through the night on June 19.
“There were blood stains on the lathis and a table,” she said and asked the magistrate to obtain them immediately.
