The landmark verdict by the Madurai Court on the 2020 Sathankulam police custodial deaths case was made possible in part due to the testimony of a woman cop. Constable R Revathi was one of the main witnesses who had testified against her 10 colleagues involved in the deaths of trader P Jayaraj and his son Bennicks on June 19, 2020.
Revathi has been a policewoman for about 21 years. On the day of the incident 6 years ago, she was on night duty at the Sathakulam police station in Thoothukudi. She was 37 at the time.
When the investigation began, she stepped up and said that she would reveal the truth of what occurred if she, her two daughters and her husband were granted protection.
Recounting the events after the Madras High Court delivered its verdict, Revathi told The New Indian Express that she did what was obvious. She said that “everyone is equal before the law”.
The court has now sentenced all nine policemen to death and imposed a fine of Rs 1.4 crore.
On the incident, she said, “I have never witnessed such cruelty.”
“The police excess began after Beniks stopped constable Muthuraj from attacking his father, and the shirt button of the constable fell off in the action,” she said. She had attempted to stop the policemen from beating the father and son, but they refused. At one point, she had to leave the room because she was unable to stand the brutality of the policemen and the screams of the victims.
During the investigation, she described what happened that night and recounted the events in great detail, identifying people who appeared on the CCTV footage.
“Beniks could not even walk a step, but one of the sub-inspectors asked him to clean the bloodstained floor using his own vest,” she said.
“If I hadn’t revealed the truth, the court would have definitely found it out, and I would have also been found guilty,” she said. “However, only God and I know of the troubles I had to face to reveal the truth. I feel so much for the families of the convicted policemen, but the personnel shouldn’t have acted cruelly,” she said.
Revathi also stated that she was pressured by higher-ups at the station to lie during the trial. However, she refused. “When the trial was underway, many from the police station indirectly contacted me and asked me to tell the investigator that they were outside the station when the duo was being brutally beaten, but I did not lie. Someday they will realise that I was right,” she said.
She also told the truth at risk to her career. Her family was concerned that the remainder of her service would be affected. In 2020, she told The News Minute, “I really don’t want to be harassed by senior officials.”
On Tuesday, the Sathankulam trader paid homage to the victims and thanked the court and the judge for their verdict
Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangangalin Peravai president Soundara Rajan appealed to the state government to consider promotion for Revathi and honour her with a prestigious award to recognise her honesty.