Published 09:52 IST, June 26th 2020
Uproar in Thoothukudi over custodial death of 2 traders, #JusticeForJayarajAndFenix trends
Protests erupted in Thoothukudi over custodial deaths of 2 shopkeepers, Jayaraj & Bennix in TN. TNTA president called for the protest against police brutality.
Protests erupted in Thoothukudi on Wednesday, June 24, over the custodial deaths of two shopkeepers in Tamil Nadu. In spite of the strict lockdown being implemented in parts of the State, the traders association of Tamil Nadu has announced their decision to shut shops across the State to protest against the death of two shopkeepers in Tuticorin (Thoothukudi), a coastal town in south Tamil Nadu.
The President of the Tamil Nadu Traders Association (TNTA) Vellaiyan, explained that the association would close all shutters down for a day to protest against the chilling case of police brutality on Jayaray and Bennix, a father-son duo who owned a small mobile phone shop in Tuticorin. Vellayan urged the public not to panic as he voiced concerns over the violent and inhumane treatment of the two people who were killed in police custody over a petty argument. The incident has since triggered widespread political outrage.
What happened to Jayaraj and Bennix?
60-year-old Jayaraj and his son Bennix (30) were reportedly detained by the Thoothukudi police on Monday 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 Jayaraj thereby prompting Bennix to intervene. The duo was then taken to Sathankulam police station and was allegedly brutally assaulted by two police officer (both sub-inspectors).
Several eyewitnesses and bystanders privy to the information stated that after having been attacked and 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.
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.
Prominent members of the Kollywood circle such as director Karthik Subbaraj and singer Suchitra have all released videos and posted tweets in the aftermath of the incident demanding urgent and appropriate action be taken against the erring police officials. Their pleas quickly caught media attention and #JusticeForJayarajAndFenix started trending on Twitter.
Updated 09:24 IST, June 27th 2020