THOOTHUKUDI: “My family members are worried about my safety,” said woman head constable R Revathi, who testified against her colleagues in the custodial death case of trader P Jeyaraj (60) and his son J Beniks (31), while talking about the events that spiralled out after she spoke the truth to power.
In an exclusive interview to TNIE a day after the verdict was delivered, Revathi shares her account of what transpired inside the Sathankulam police station on the fateful day of June 19, 2020, and her decision to bring the truth to light, which she said was obvious, as “everyone is equal before the law”.
Revathi was the sentry at the Sathankulam station on the day of the incident. “I have never witnessed such cruelty,” said Revathi, a policewoman for 21 years. For the police to mete out extreme brutality to the victims, the moment that lit the fuse was anything but wrongdoing.
“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. After seeing a bleeding Beniks and Jeyaraj inside the station, Revathi attempted to stop the aggressive policemen from beating the two, but the personnel did not. “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.
“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.
Revathi added that she has maintained a clean record, without any adverse remarks against her, throughout the 21 years, and she wanted to maintain the same.
“On the days after the incident was brought to light, my family members supported me to tide over the troubles I had suffered,” she said, adding that they are deeply concerned about the remainder of her service in the police department.
Revathi, a mother of two girls, has been provided with a police escort since 2020, as per the directions of the district administration. The testimony of the brave policewoman overturned the course of the case. On Monday, the additional district and sessions court in Madurai pronounced the judgment in the Beniks-Jeyaraj case, sentencing all nine policemen to death and imposing a total fine of Rs 1.4 crore.
Promote head constable Revathi: Trader body
Thoothukudi: Welcoming the verdict, Sathankulam traders paid homage to the victims at the association office on Tuesday. They thanked Madurai Additional District and Sessions Judge G Muthukumaran for the “landmark” judgment. Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangangalin Peravai president Soundara Rajan appealed to the state government to consider promotion for whistleblower Revathi and honour her with a prestigious award to recognise her honesty.