“In our great democracy, peacekeepers are given a free rein and are a law unto themselves.”   T.J. Joseph, A Thousand Cuts. On 19 June 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in India, 59 year old Jeyaraj and his 31-year -old son Bennix were picked up by the Tamil Nadu Police from Sathankulam, Thoothukudi district in Tamil Nadu. The Police claim that the duo kept their mobile accessories shop open beyond permissible hours and violated the Indian government’s COVID-19 lockdown rules. They were tortured and sexually assaulted in police custody, which resulted in their deaths, or in other words, in institutional murder. The term custody refers to apprehending someone for protective care. In November 2021, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, 22-year-old Altaf died in police custody. According to the Police, he asked to go to the washroom while he was being questioned and  hung himself from the water pipeline using the…

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