The persecution and murder of Christians in India has been a growing problem for years. India has grown to become one of the top ten nations most dangerous for Christians, and with the rise of Hindu nationalism, those numbers are expected to worsen as parties such as the BJP and affiliate political movements such as Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and Bajrang Dal (BD) continue to attack Christians and encourage violence. Policing does not necessarily help either because many times, the police actively are members of or encourage these groups to attack and will support, ignore, or actively participate in the violence.
According to a story out of southern India in the state of Tamil Nadu and as reported by the Christian Post, a Christian father and son were found murdered and five police officers have been arrested in connection with their deaths.
Five police officers in India have been arrested in connection with the killing of a father and son who were allegedly brutalized after their arrest last month for keeping their store open past permitted hours during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
According to reports, P. Jeyarj and his son, Bennicks (Fenix), were arrested on June 19 in Tamil Nadu state in southern India and kept overnight in police custody. The father, believed to be in his 50s, and son, believed to be in his 30s, died two days after being released within hours of each other.
The father and son were jailed at the Sathankulam police station in Tuticorin and family members say their loved ones were tortured.
The death of the Jeyarj and his son has fueled protests and demonstrations against police brutality in India, which have occurred since the death of African American George Floyd in Minneapolis on Memorial Day.
An investigation was launched by a local court. The Madras High Court, the highest court in the state, ruled there was enough evidence to charge the officers with murder.
The court found there were serious injuries listed in the two men’s autopsy reports.
CNN reports that court documents show that the son was admitted to the hospital just before 8 p.m. on June 22 and died less than two hours after being admitted. About an hour after the son passed, the father was admitted to the hospital and died the next morning.” (source)