Jeyaraj and Beniks custodial deaths: Rahul Gandhi expresses grief, regret

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday expressed grief and regret over the death of a father- son duo in Tuticorin who were allegedly thrashed by the police. Gandhi also demanded justice for the two. He said he could not visit Sathankulam, where the incident happened last week, to personally comfort the family, due to the coronavirus situation.

In an SMS sent to the party’s Shakti platform members in Tuticorin district, he said “let us agitate till those responsible for this (deaths) are punished.” “I was aggrieved over and regret the police action that was responsible for the death of Jeyaraj and Beniks,” he said, according to a release issued by the Tamil Nadu Congress unit.

He urged the members to light a candle at 7 pm on Sunday as a mark of remembrance for the “deceased brothers” and pay tributes to them. “I could not come in person to comfort (the family of the deceased) due to the Covid-19 situation,” he added.

P Jeyaraj and his son Beniks, arrested for ‘violating’ lockdown norms over business hours of their cell phone shop, died at a hospital in Kovilpatti on June 23, with their relatives alleging they were severely thrashed at the Sathankulam police station by police personnel earlier. The incident has triggered a national furore, leading to the suspension of four policemen,including two Sub-Inspectors. Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Sunday said the government has decided to transfer the probe into the deaths, to the CBI.