Tuticorin Custodial Deaths: Rajinikanth Calls For Punishment Of Cops

Chennai: Actor Rajinikanth put out a statement on the custodial deaths in Tuticorin which have evoked widespread public outrage. Rajinikanth called for punishment to the cops who those who were responsible and condemned the behaviour of the policemen involved. The superstar's Twitter post in Tamil further expressed shock at the incident.

Jayaraj (59) and his son Bennix (31) were arrested by the police in Santhankalam of Tuticorin on June 19, for keeping their mobile shop open in violation of curfew. They were allegedly tortured through the night leading to the deaths of the father-son duo.

The custodial deaths saw massive public outrage and widespread condemnation by politicians of all hues. It snowballed into a major embarrassment for the AIADMK government led by Edapaddi Palaniswami in Tamil Nadu, with several celebrities condemning the brutality in the case leading to the deaths of the father and son.

The opposition DMK hit out at the ruling AIADMK accusing the Tamil Nadu chief Minister Edappadi Palanisamy of concealing facts related to the murder. DMK MP Kanimozhi visited the house of the victims and handed over a cheque of Rs.25 lakhs on behalf of her party.

The Kovilpatti Magistrate MS Bharatidasan inquiring into the case submitted a three-page report to the Madurai Bench of the Tamil Nadu High Court. He is said to have informed the High Court of the non-cooperation of the local police, following which the High Court Bench directed the District Collector to take possession of the case material and asked the Tirunelveli IG to probe the case.

The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edapaddi Palaniswami has announced the transfer of the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as per media reports.