Jeyaraj and Bennix case: Director Hari condemns deaths; says 'regret making cop movies'

Director Hari who is known for his cop-centric movies like Singam and Saamy recently condemned the custodial deaths of P Jeyaraj and his son Bennix. He said that he regrets making films that glorified police force. In a letter, Hari wrote that incidents of police brutality should never take place again in Tamil Nadu.

According to a media report, filmmaker Hari wrote, “The only way for that is to punish all those involved with the highest sentence. The violation by some in the police force has brought dishonour upon the entire force. I am deeply saddened today for having made five films glorifying the police.”

Hari’s movies like Singam and Sammy are quite popular movies. These movies were also remade in several languages. The Hindi remake of Singam is titled as Singham. The movie stars Ajay Devgn in the lead role and helmed by Rohit Shetty. 

Actor Suriya, who played a cop in the Singam franchise, described the entire incident of Jeyaraj and Bennix as a result of organised crime. In a poignant statement, Suriya pointed out that the cops alone are not at fault in this case. The magistrate and the doctors are equally responsible for the custodial death. He further added that it cannot be called a negligent act because the custodial deaths have put the credibility of the police department at stakes.

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What happened to Jeyaraj and Bennix?

60-year-old Jayaraj and his son Bennix (30) were reportedly detained by the Thoothukudi police on June 22 night following an altercation over keeping Bennix's mobile phone shop open beyond permissible hours during the lockdown. The argument reportedly escalated when the police manhandled Jeyaraj thereby prompting Bennix to intervene. The duo was then taken to Sathankulam police station and was allegedly brutally assaulted by two police officers (both sub-inspectors). 

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Several eyewitnesses and bystanders privy to the information stated that after having being attacked by the cops the duo complained of uneasiness and was rushed to a hospital, only hours after being remanded in the Kovilpatti Sub-Jail. It was later reported that Bennix had died in hospital and a few hours following that his father died too. 

Following the outrage and widespread protests in the city, the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court ordered the postmortem procedure to be videographed. Having reportedly suspended both the police involved, the court also initiated a suo-moto inquiry into the case.

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DMK president and opposition leader MK Stalin has demanded Chief Minister Edapadi Palaniswami who also currently holds the State Home Minister portfolio to take immediate action. Several political bigwigs such as KS Alagiri, Vaiko and GK Vasan have taken to social media and interacted with the press condemning the incident. 

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