On Monday, a Madurai court sentenced nine police officers to death for their roles in the custodial deaths of P Jayaraj and his son J Bennix in Sathankulam, Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu. The court's ruling comes nearly six years after the father and son were allegedly assaulted by police for violating COVID-19 lockdown regulations. The court highlighted that the actions of the police destroyed the foundation of an entire family and mandated severe punishment to prevent similar incidents in the future. The convicted officers, including former inspector S Sridhar and several sub-inspectors, were also fined a total of ₹1.40 crore (approximately $168,000 USD) to be paid as compensation to the victims' family. The case has drawn attention to the issue of police brutality in India, particularly during the pandemic when enforcement of lockdown measures led to numerous allegations of excessive force. The investigation was later taken over by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after initial charges against the officers were filed.