Sathankulam custodial deaths | Cop Revathi: Faced pressure not to speak truth
The Head Constable, who was on sentry (para) duty at the Sathankulam police station in Thoothukudi district on the night of June 19, 2020, when trader P Jeyaraj (60) and his son J Bennix (31) were subjected to brutal torture leading to their deaths, said she witnessed the events firsthand
Head Constable R Revathi, the crucial witness in the horrific 2020 Sathankulam custodial deaths case in Tamil Nadu, has strongly defended her decision to speak the truth. Failing to do so would have made her complicit in the crime and liable for punishment, she said.
Read The Federal's award-winning article on Sathankulam case
The Madurai Additional District and Sessions Court on April 7 sentenced all nine accused policemen to death and imposed a total fine of Rs 1.4 crore. Revathi described the judgment as a “very correct” one that upholds the rule of law.
What happened on June 19, 2020
The Head Constable, who was on sentry (para) duty at the Sathankulam police station in Thoothukudi district on the night of June 19, 2020, when trader P Jeyaraj (60) and his son J Bennix (31) were subjected to brutal torture leading to their deaths, said she witnessed the events firsthand.
Also read: Sathankulam case | What key witness constable Revathi said in July 2020
“If I had not told the truth in this case, I too would have become an accused. I would have been guilty of abetting the crime and punished accordingly,” she asserted in an exclusive chat with The Federal.
She said that she faced intense pressure from various quarters to turn hostile witness, but remained firm in her resolve.
'Never witnessed such cruelty'
Recounting the harrowing night, she had earlier told The Federal that the extreme violence escalated after Bennix tried to protect his father from an attacking constable, which caused the policeman’s shirt button to come off. She described seeing the father and son bleeding profusely inside the station and attempting to intervene, only to be ignored.
Also read: Sathankulam case: Why it is a rare verdict and what are its implications
According to her account, despite Bennix being unable to walk, one Sub-Inspector forced him to clean the bloodstained floor using his own vest. “I have never witnessed such cruelty,” she had said. Following her testimony, the district administration had provided Revathi with round-the-clock security since 2020.
While some colleagues appreciated her stand, she noted that many criticised her behind her back. “Even if I had not spoken, the truth would have eventually come out,” she maintained.
