THE KHAKI BRUTALITY

“THE GREATNESS OF HUMANITY IS NOT IN BEING HUMAN, BUT IN BEING HUMANE “– Mahatma Gandhi.

Being humane is something which only lies in protest boards and long-lost quotes. Humanity has been under regression for a great period of time, making us more animalistic. Every now and then we hear news about brutal incidents across the globe. Recently, George Floyd’s death shook the world for its gravity of brutality. The worst part of these incidents is that, it is committed by the ones who are supposed to stop this very act of crime. The Police, under the name of authority has been committing vicious crimes upon innocent civilians, just to quench their simple urge of ego.  

There have been many police brutality cases recorded in India as well. A recent death of a father and son has triggered a spark among the people of this particular town called Sathankulam, because it was not just a death… but a cold-blooded murder by the Khakis.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
SATAN'S OF SATAN KULAM

Sathankulam, a peaceful town in Tuticorin district of Tamil Nadu, went havoc after hearing the news about the death of Jeyaraj and his son Bennix. Jeyaraj aged 59 was a timber trader while 31-year-old Bennix owned a mobile shop, they both have been under the roof of these shops for nearly ten years. It was just a normal day for them, until two police officers intervened their business at 7 pm, pulling out Jeyaraj from the shop…

It seems that on the previous evening, around 8.30 pm the same police officers had been patrolling the area. The shops were supposed to be closed by 8 pm due to the lockdown restrictions, upon seeing the crowded lane they have asked the shopkeepers to close the shops, a word erupted from someone among the crowd which triggered the so-called superior ego of these officers. They left the scene silently without making any fuss.

…Jeyaraj was pulled out from the shop without any words, petrified Bennix asks for a reason. Ignoring him, these officers grab Jeyaraj and gear up towards the police station. Bennix along with his friends runs to the station where he sees an officer raising his arms against Jeyaraj, this sparks Bennix and yet he just stops the cop from slapping his father. The cops are offended by this mere act of Bennix, the police officer pushes him flat on the wall by holding his neck...

The following day both father and son are taken to the hospital, and the doctor gives a medical certificate stating that the duo is indeed healthy and physically fit. Later they are produced in front of the judicial magistrate, under the IPC section of 506(b), 188, 269 and 353 for threatening to kill a police officer, disobeying a lawfully empowered public servant’s orders, for negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life and assault to deter public servant from discharge of his/her duty. The magistrate remands the duo and they are lodged at Kovilpatti sub-jail which is at least 100 kilometres from Sathankulam.

On 22^nd June Bennix passes away from chest pain and the very next day Jeyaraj dies due to high fever in the wee hours.   

How could the duo die, just two days after their custody night?

Why were they lodged at Kovilpatti sub-jail even though there were other sub-jails near Santhankulam? 

Why did the duo have brutal injuries all over their body?

Why did the doctor give a medical certificate stating that the duo was medically fit?

How could the magistrate remand the duo even after checking their injuries? Or did he even check?

            

What really happened on that night?

The perspectives and accounts of their family and friends gives a picture of what might have happened during their custody.

AS SEEN AND HEARD BY THE REST

The Onlookers :

It is 8.30 pm, the shop lane is unusually crowded than any other day. As it is the pandemic times the shops were ordered to shut down before 8 pm, but as there was impending customers around the duo’s shop, closing of the shop was delayed. The police who were patrolling, wheeled around this lane to see a crowded area. Instantly the cops command to close the shops, the crowd starts dispersing and the owners start shuttering down the shops, suddenly out of nowhere few words are spoken against the officers. The angered cops leave silently.

The next day, these officers get a misinformation that it was Jeyaraj who raised his voice against them. The following evening around 7 pm these two Khakis barged into Jeyaraj’s shop, pulled him out into the lane and dragged him to the station. Bennix and his friends sped right behind them to police station.

            

The next morning, father and son come out of the station, disheveled, with blood-soaked waist-cloth. Later they are carried to the hospital in their friend’s vehicle. 

Friends :        

When Bennix and his friends arrived at the station, he sees his father being assaulted and cussed with un-parliamentary words, he storms into the station raising his voice and stops the next blow from the cop. The cop is offended by this mere act of Bennix, instantly he swifts his arms against Bennix and pushes him flat on the wall by holding the back of his neck. The cop grabs a lathi and starts bashing his buttocks and orders this “Friends of Police” to break his knee and these friends do as obeyed. 

The enraged father Jeyaraj questions the cop for this brutality against his son, they start beating up Jeyaraj. Meanwhile Bennix’s friends are pushed out from the station. When tried to break in, they closed and locked the doors of the station.

The duo is shifted up to the terrace of the station to escape the eyes of CCTV, father and son were stripped naked, and are beaten black and blue. the cops shove up the lathi into their rectum making them bleed profusely, even then their thirst is not quenched, they continue bashing them.  

Bennix’s friends say that they only heard screams and cries from 7.30 pm to 11.30 pm, later when they managed to sneak into the station, they could see Bennix and Jeyaraj naked with blood all over them. They only saw the duo in the morning, with torn clothes and blood-stained waist-cloth. In order to carry them to the hospital, their friends were asked to bring a vehicle, so that there would be no traces of blood in the police vehicle.

Cotton clothes are spread upon the seat to ease their pain and they are carried to the government hospital, Bennix’s friends state that at least 6-7 waist-cloths were changed between 7 am to 12 pm. Upon checking the duo, the doctor initially refuses to give a certificate stating that they are fit, as their blood pressure is high, but he finally agrees to give a fitness certificate. 

The duo was taken to the magistrate in the same vehicle, when a friend suggested Bennix to tell about this brutality to the magistrate, he had rejected the idea saying that the police had threatened to ruin his life if he dares to speak about this and also requests them not tell anything to his mother and his sisters . The magistrate sees them from 50 meters away and remands both father and son at Kovilpatti sub-jail.

That was the last time they ever saw Jeyaraj and Bennix. 

Persis : 

“as a sister, I cannot describe it at all. Bennix’s chest hairs have been plucked, there is NOTHING in front and rear of their bodies. They were severely tortured and killed. I didn’t even tell my mother about this, we need justice. It should not happen to any other family” 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

CONCLUSION : THE INJUSTICE 

After the death of Jeyaraj and Bennix, the word spreads about the inhumane activities committed on the father and son, soon protests break out across Sathankulam, shopkeepers offer support to the protests by closing the shops, hashtags demanding justice for Jeyaraj and Bennix trends in Twitter.

Meanwhile “The Ruling” party takes this issue casually and announces that both father and son simply died due to high fever and asphyxiation, respectively, also announces an amount of ten lakh rupees per head and a government job to a persson in the family, The other political parties take advantage of this situation, demanding justice but all they need is an excuse to blame the Ruling party. The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court has volunteered itself to investigate the deaths of Jeyaraj and Bennix.

 The two cops responsible for this notorious act have been suspended from the department while rest of the police officers have been transferred from Sathankulam police station to other stations. Yes, this is the punishment given to a petty crime of murdering two innocent civilians, while death was severed as a punishment for a monstrous crime of opening the shop for few minutes above the permissible time.

These Khakis who commit crimes are suspended, transferred or at most dismissed from the department and within few days or months these Khaki criminals walk around happily ruining other lives, while the victim suffers from injustice… 

“INJUSTICE ANYWHERE IS A THREAT TO JUSTICE ANYWHERE”- Martin Luthor King, Jr