How Constable Revathi's bravery led to death penalty for 9 cops in custody murder
India Today
Head Constable Revathi's courageous testimony, defying threats and institutional pressure, proved pivotal in securing death sentences for nine Tamil Nadu police personnel five years after a father and son died in custodial torture.
Nine Tamil Nadu police personnel were convicted and awarded the death penalty five years after a father and son died in custodial torture. While the verdict marks a decisive judicial closure, the case may never have reached this stage without the courage of a relatively low-ranking officer, Head Constable Revathi.
Revathi was on duty at the Sathankulam police station in Thoothukudi when officers unleashed brutality on P Jayaraj and his son J Bennix, who had been detained in 2020 for keeping their mobile shop open in violation of Covid norms.
Turning approver in the case, she recounted the events at the station to the magistrate despite having no assurance about her safety, her family, or her job. The officers accused in the case were senior and influential, while Revathi was a junior constable. Yet she remained resolute.
When Judicial Magistrate MS Bharathidasan arrived to probe the case, she is said to have told him: "Sir, I will tell you everything, every detail, the truth that is being hidden. But I am the mother of two young girls. Can you guarantee the safety of my children and my job?" a journalist, who also goes by the name Revathi, recounted.
She went on to describe, minute by minute, the brutality of that night, how the two men were beaten relentlessly, sustained multiple injuries, and were later remanded to judicial custody. Both died within days, triggering nationwide outrage.
Revathi identified, without fear, the personnel seen in CCTV footage, helping establish their presence at the scene, an essential element in determining criminal liability.According to her testimony, the officers assaulted the victims with whatever they could find and even stomped on their private parts with their boots, pausing only to drink alcohol while the victims writhed in pain.
Head Constable Revathi's courageous testimony, defying threats and institutional pressure, proved pivotal in securing death sentences for nine Tamil Nadu police personnel five years after a father and son died in custodial torture.
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