Let’s not sugarcoat this. Between january 1 and march 15 this year, india recorded 170 custodial deaths. That’s not a statistic — that’s more than two people dying every single day while in the custody of those meant to protect them. Sit with that for a second.
Now zoom out. Over the past 25 years, 2,253 people have died in police custody across the country. And in all that time, convictions? Just three. Not three percent — three cases. All in one year: 2017. Then came six straight years from 2018 to 2023, during which not a single conviction was recorded. zero accountability. zero consequences. A pattern so consistent, it stopped shocking people.
That’s exactly why the deaths of Jayaraj and Bennix in june 2020 refused to fade into the background. It wasn’t just another case — it became a breaking point. Public outrage didn’t die down. Pressure didn’t dissolve. And for once, the system didn’t quietly move on.
Fast forward to march 2026. Nine police officers were convicted of murder. Today, all nine have been sentenced to death.
Read that again — because this is the part that seldom happens.
This case matters not because custodial deaths are rare. They’re not. It matters because justice in such cases is. It matters because, for once, the numbers didn’t win. The silence didn’t win. The system, however briefly, did what it was supposed to do.
And that changes everything — or at least, it should.
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