Nine police officers sentenced to death in India for custody deaths

On Monday, a court in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu sentenced nine police officers to death for the murder of a shopkeeper and his son. The victims, 58-year-old P. Jayaraj and his 31-year-old son J. Bennix, were arrested on June 19, 2020, in the town of Sathankulam for allegedly violating lockdown orders by keeping their mobile phone shop open. Following their arrest, both men were subjected to severe beatings and torture while in police custody. The father died from his injuries two days later, followed by the death of his son the next day. The case was investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which stated that these actions constituted a severe human rights violation. While the death penalty is part of the legal framework in India, it is rarely carried out, with the most recent executions occurring in March 2020. The court's ruling follows the federal agency's findings regarding the brutal nature of the crimes committed by the officers.