Voices from the Ground: Families Speak Out on Custodial Deaths

🎙️ Introduction: Beyond the Headlines

  • Briefly explain what custodial deaths are and why they matter.

  • Highlight how media often forgets the families left behind.

  • Set the tone: This is about real people, their grief, and their fight for justice.

  • Use a powerful quote from a victim’s family to start.

👥 Section 1: Grief in Silence – The Human Toll

  • Describe the emotional, social, and psychological trauma families face.

  • Mention stigma: families often feel isolated, blamed, or threatened.

  • Highlight how mothers, wives, and siblings often become accidental activists.

📖 Section 2: Case Stories – Voices That Refuse to Die

Feature 3–5 real-life accounts of custodial death victims from different parts of India:

1. Jeyaraj and Bennix (Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, 2020)

  • Father and son arrested for violating lockdown norms.

  • Brutally tortured; died within days.

  • Family’s protest sparked national outrage.

2. Altaf (Kasganj, UP, 2021)

  • Accused of abducting a Hindu girl; found dead hanging in police custody.

  • Police claimed suicide using a drawstring in a 2-foot-high tap.

  • Family rejected the police version, demanding CBI probe.

3. Raja Manickam (Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, 2023)

  • Dalit youth arrested for petty theft.

  • Family claims he was tortured to death.

  • Mother speaks about threats and pressure to withdraw complaints.

4. [Insert regional/local case]

  • You can include a lesser-known case from rural Bihar, Maharashtra, or a tribal region to highlight invisibilized voices.

⚖️ Section 3: Fighting for Justice – A Lonely Road

  • Describe how most families:

    • File FIRs against the police but face delays.

    • Get threatened, harassed, or offered hush money.

    • Spend years in courts with little hope.

  • Include quotes or excerpts from interviews:

    “They killed my son and now they ask me to forget.” — Mother of a victim

🧱 Section 4: Barriers to Justice

  • Lack of legal awareness.

  • Fear of police retaliation.

  • No access to good lawyers.

  • Political interference, weak investigations, and prolonged court processes.

🧠 Section 5: When Grief Becomes Resistance

  • Some families turn their pain into activism.

    • Form support groups, connect with NGOs, speak at events.

    • Use social media and citizen journalism to tell their story.

  • Mention organizations like People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Human Rights Law Network (HRLN), etc., supporting such families.

🔍 Section 6: The Role of Media & Civil Society

  • How media coverage (or lack thereof) influences justice outcomes.

  • Importance of documentation, public memory, and solidarity.

  • Quote from a journalist or activist:

    “Without public pressure, these cases vanish.”

🌱 Conclusion: Listening, Believing, Acting

  • Acknowledge the courage it takes to speak out.

  • Reiterate that every voice matters—each story is a window into a broken system.

  • Call on readers to listen, amplify, and demand accountability.