Sathankulam custodial deaths: CBI chargesheet reveals father-son duo tortured for over 7 hours

The father-son duo in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi district was tortured by the accused police officials for more than seven hours, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has said in its report filed before the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court in the custodial death case.

As many as 10 people were arrested in the case, however, special assistant inspector Balthurai had died due to poor health. Notably, the investigation in the case was also delayed after some policemen and two CBI officials tested positive for COVID-19.

The CBI had on September 25 filed a chargesheet against nine then police officials in a Madurai court in connection with the custodial death of a father-son duo in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi.

The investigation into the custodial death case had resumed after their treatment and recovery.

According to the CBI, the accused include then Station House Officer S Sridhar, sub-inspectors K Balakrishnan, and P Raghuganesh, then head constables S Murugan and A Samadurai, and then constables M Muthuraja, S Chelladurai, X Thomas Francis and S Veilumuthu.

The chargesheet was filed under Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), 342 (wrongful confinement), 201 (disappearance of evidence), 182 (false information with the intent to cause public servant to use lawful power to the injury of another person), 193 (false evidence), 211 (false charge of offence made with the intent to injure), 218 (public servant framing incorrect record) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

"CBI investigation revealed that the father-son duo was arrested in the evening of June 19, 2020, 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 and 23," the CBI had said earlier.

The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court had earlier taken suo motu cognizance of the matter and asked the CBI to submit a report before it on the matter.

The agency had registered two cases on July 7, 2020, in connection with the alleged custodial death of a father-son duo identified as P Jeyaraj and J Benniks in Kovilpatti on the request of the Tamil Nadu government and further notification from the Central government.