India’s George Floyds: custodial deaths raise question of who’s policing the police
- Bennicks Immanuel and J Jayaraj died from their injuries after allegedly being tortured following their arrest for breaking coronavirus lockdown rules
- Activists say theirs were just two of many deaths in police custody in India, raising questions over police brutality, impunity and the need for reform
Bennicks Emmanuel, 31, and his 59-year-old father Jayaraj were arrested on June 19 for keeping their mobile phone accessories shop open past the permitted hours in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, where a coronavirus lockdown was in place. Within four days, both were dead after allegedly receiving brutal beatings that led to rectal bleeding.
Federal officers from India’s Central Bureau of Investigation have now taken over the case at the request of the state government, with the promise of behavioural correction workshops being set up for Tamil Nadu police with questionable track records.
But with an average of five people per day dying in custodial deaths last year, according to Indian NGO collective the National Campaign Against Torture (NCAT), activists are calling for more to be done to hold those responsible for the deaths to account.
A disproportionate amount of the country’s police custodial deaths in 2019 were members of marginalised communities such as Muslims and Dalits, NCAT says, with as many as 75 per cent of the deaths in police custody showing signs of torture. What’s more, these figures are only thought to be the tip of the iceberg given reporting gaps caused by poor documentation, fear of persecution and a lack of public awareness, as well as other factors.