The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is investigating the Sathankulam custodial deaths case,informed the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday that the post mortem reports show that Bennix, the 31-year-old man who died on June 22, had 13 injuries on various parts of his body and had also suffered from excessive blood loss. Jayaraj, his 58-year-old father who died on June 23 had 17 injuries on various parts of his body. The CBI also told the High Court that the postmortem report revealed that the father and son had died due to blunt injuries. 

Justice V Bharathidasan was hearing the bail petitions filed by three policemen Muthuraj, Murugan and Thomas Francis. The three police officers, who are among 10 police personnel accused in the case, however withdrew their petitions after the court held that bail cannot be granted at the current stage of the investigation. The High Court also said that the petitions will be heard after the CBI files the entire report. 

The CBI had informed the court that two women head constables had revealed that the three policemen had beaten up Jayaraj and Bennix, reported Times of India. Jayaraj’s wife Selvarani had also filed a petition objecting to the grant of bail to the policemen. In her petition, she stated that if the three were granted bail they would tamper with witnesses. 

On June 19, P Jayaraj and his son J Bennix, who are mobile shop owners, were detained by the Sathankulam police in Thoothukudi district. They were allegedly assaulted by the police following their arrest and were later remanded to judicial custody in Kovilpatti jail where Bennix died on June 22 and Jayaraj on June 23. 

Their deaths caused a huge uproar in the state with the Madras High Court taking suo motu cognisance of the case. The case was taken up by the CB-CDI under the orders of the High Court and 10 policemen were booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code including Section 302 for murder and were arrested. The case was later transferred to the CBI.