Mumbai:
Several stars from Hindi film industry, including actors Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Taapsee Pannu have condemned the deaths of father-son duo P Jayaraj and J Fennix following alleged police torture in Tamil Nadu. Jayaraj and Fennix of Sathankulam, a town in Tamil Nadu’s southern district of Tuticorin, were arrested for allegedly violating lockdown norms on business hours of their cellphone shop.
They died at a hospital in Kovilpatti on June 23, with their relatives alleging that they were severely thrashed at the Sathankulam police station by police personnel. In a Twitter post, Priyanka said such “brutality” angers her and the guilty must be punished.
“Reeling from what I’m hearing. Absolutely stunned, sad and angry. No human being deserves such brutality, whatever be their crime. The guilty must not be allowed to go unpunished. We need facts. “I cannot even begin to imagine what the family must be going through. Sending strength and prayers. We need to use our collective voices to seek #JusticeForJayarajandBennicks (sic)” she tweeted. Kareena took to Instagram and said one must work towards ensuring that such incidents don’t happen again. “Such brutality is unacceptable, whatever be the circumstance. As a society, we must continue to speak until justice prevails and work towards this not happening again,” the 39-year-old actor wrote. Ever since the duo’s death, there has been immense outrage on social media, with many trending the hashtags #JusticeForJayarajAndBennix and #JusticeForJayarajAndFenix.
Taapsee said she was gutted reading the details of the incident. “This might just be one case out of many but it takes only one case to begin the snowball effect. #JusticeforJayarajAndFenix It could’ve been anyone we know. Details are scary and gut wrenching,” she wrote on Twitter. Coming down heavily on the cops, actor Parineeti Chopra said it’s unimaginable that the very system which is meant to protect people is turning against them. “We go to the police when we are in danger. How can they be the danger? Every single cop involved in their death needs to pay for this. I cannot imagine the pain the father and son went through. #JusticeForJeyarajAndFenix (sic)” she said. Calling the incident a “national shame”, actor Riteish Deshmukh said, “It sends shivers down my spine even reading about it. We all must stand together against this barbaric brutality.” Actor-comedian Vir Das said their deaths are “horrific and wrong” and every individual must demand speedy action. “What happened to a father and son at the hands of those policemen is wrong at every human level and every single person irrespective of place of origin or political belief needs to stand up for them. It is plain horrific and wrong. Demand action,” he tweeted. The incident has triggered a national furore, leading to the suspension of four policemen, including two sub-inspectors.
Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Sunday said the government has decided to transfer the probe into the deaths to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)..
