In recent years, India has experienced shocking cases that have highlighted the issue of custodial violence. The deaths of Jayaraj and his son Bennicks in Tamil Nadu in June 2020 have become a significant focal point in discussions surrounding policing practices in the country. Both activists were arrested for what was reported as violating Covid-19 restrictions. Tragically, their deaths in custody have raised troubling issues about how law enforcement engages with people.
The deaths of Jayaraj and Bennicks sparked massive outrage, protests, and a demand for change that challenged the very foundation of policing within India. Their example is not a unique exception. It comes in the wake of the death of Faizan in February 2020, who died after being arrested during demonstrations against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The High Court described Faizan’s murder as a “gross violation of human rights.” They determined that it was a hate crime and emphasized the immediate need of reforming the archaic Indian policing framework.
The legacy of colonial policing is still deeply embedded in today’s Indian law enforcement. An understanding of this history is crucial to informing the systemic issues of brutality and discrimination that still exist today. The need for reform is more than an administrative requirement. It embodies a bold moral directive to address all enclosures with systemic injustice.
The recently published book titled “Policing and Violence in India: Colonial Legacies and Contemporary Realities,” edited by Deana Heath and Jinee Lokaneeta, explores these complex issues. The book’s 368 pages tell the story of how practices born in colonial times continue to inform and produce police violence today. It stresses the importance of looking at this problem through a socio-political lens. Priced at ₹799, it seeks to inform and empower policymakers, scholars, and citizens to think creatively and act urgently.
Bring in immediate reforms to Indian policing, the editors demand. Unless they see a radical, systemic change — one that guarantees custodial violence will not happen in the future — they simply won’t be satisfied. The heartbreaking stories of Jayaraj, Bennicks, and Faizan demonstrate why immediate accountability is needed in policing. As their poignant stories testify, we can’t let justice be an afterthought.