- An Indian court has sentenced nine police officers to the death penalty for the custodial deaths of a father and son during the Covid pandemic.
- P Jeyaraj, a 58-year-old trader, and his son J Benicks, 31, died within days of being detained by police in Tamil Nadu for allegedly keeping their mobile phone shop open beyond permitted hours.
- The trial judge described the deaths as a grave abuse of power, saying the officers acted “with the intention of killing” and tortured the unarmed men through the night.
- Investigators from the Central Bureau of Investigation concluded the officers inflicted severe injuries to “teach them a lesson” and attempted to cover up the crime.
- The case sparked widespread protests in 2020 and renewed scrutiny of police brutality and custodial violence across India.
IN FULL
India sentences nine police officers to death over Covid lockdown killings
