NE NEWS SERVICE
THOOTHUKUDI, JULY 5
Five policemen arrested in connection with the death of a father-son duo in judicial custody, who were allegedly tortured by the former, have been shifted from a local jail to the Madurai Central Prison, police said.
The policemen were shifted out of the local jail on Saturday for ”security reasons”.
Earlier five police personnel, including an inspector, were arrested in connection with the alleged custodial torture of P Jeyaraj and his son Bennicks at Sathankulam police station in the district.
The duo, who ran a cellphone shop, were arrested on June 19 for alleged violation of prohibitory orders. Bennicks died on June 22 and Jeyaraj the next day at a hospital.
The deaths due to alleged police brutality led to nation-wide outrage.
While a CBI probe has been ordered by the government, the Madras High Court had directed the CB-CID to handle the case till such time the central agency stepped in.
Meanwhile, the police in certain districts including Thoothukudi were on Sunday advised not to use “Friends of Police” members in routine works following allegations that the community policing system was being misused.
The district units including Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Tenkasi and Kanyakumari have been asked not to use FOP members on routine police works, sources said.
CPI demands to scrap ”FoP”
Meanwhile, the Communist Party of India’s (CPI) Tamil Nadu unit on Sunday demanded the state police scrap the Friends of Police (FoP) scheme permanently and not for just two months.
In a statement issued here, CPI’s state Secretary R. Mutharasan said as per reports, police in Sathankulam police station in Thoothukudi district had used the FoP personnel in assaulting P. Jeyaraj and his son J. Bennicks, resulting in their custodial death.
Even at the time of introduction of the FoP, a warning was issued that the scheme would be misused, he said.
Referring to reports of FoP being temporarily banned for two months by the state police, Mutharasan demanded that it be banned permanently.
