IT TAKES A LOT TO BE REVATHI…!!!
While the whole country is celebrating the landmark judgement of death penalty for the NINE policemen in the Santhanakulam custodial torture and murder of Jeyaraj and Bennix, you should know about Revathi.
Revathi was a constable in Santhanakulam police station in 2020 when the gruesome incident took place. She was the key witness and the sole reason for all the arrogant officers getting punished today.
The police men involved in the brutality were all big men, Revathi was a small time constable. But she stood unperturbed.
When Magistrate Bharathidasan, who initially investigated this case, arrived at the Santhanakulam police station he had no clue that constable Revathi will help close the case.
"Sir, I will tell you everything, every detail, the truth that is being hidden. But I am the mother of two young girls... can you guarantee the safety of my children and my job?", she had asked the magistrate.
Revathi was on night duty when the cruel incident took place. She witnessed the brutality being inflicted on Jeyaraj and Bennix and narrated every single detail.
She told how SI Balakrishnan, inspector Sridhar and SI Ragukanes, kept beating the father and son with whatever they found, and how they also stomped on their private parts with their shoes.
She remembered their screams. She saw how the officers took pause only to sip alcohol while the victims withered in pain.
When the father and son were semi-conscious, unable to bear it, Revathi asked Jayaraj if he needed anything. She gave him coffee which the officials spilt it immediately.
Revathi couldn’t stand the brutality but being a woman constable there was only so much she could do. She then offered water to the victims.
The so called policemen then stripped Bennix naked, tied his hands and legs separately, and beat him up. They did the same to Jeyaraj. Revathi couldn’t bear the pain of their screams, she left the place.
According to the postmortem report, their entire back was skinned, iron rods were inserted and they bled from their rectums.
When the case was being discussed by the media, when even the CM of Tamil Nadu tried to brush it away, Revathi knew the truth.
The police officials, cleaned up the station of any DNA evidences, erased the CCTV footage and warned everyone to shut-up and not try to become heroes.
But Revathi didn’t just narrate the entire ordeal in exact detail…she even helped the investigating officials obtain other crucial information.
Despite everything being cleaned, Revathi gathered DNA of the victims in crevices of the walls and floors, on furniture and other objects.
She was questioned, threatened, intimidated, bribed and even abused. She stood by justice. She had to go against her colleagues for justice of comman man.
In the time when police force is often looked upon with reasonable suspicion, there are people in uniform like Revathi.
Today court could pronounce death sentence to nine police officers - only because one woman decided she will stand by truth!
Kudos to Revathi, an amazing woman and an absolutely fabulous police officer.
The world is a better place because of her courage.
Salute ma’am 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
Kerala is India’s standout State by every indicator of social progress and human development. Dr V. K. Ramachandran, economist and Vice-Chairperson of the Kerala State Planning Board, shows how it presents to the country and the world “a democratic, socially inclusive, participatory, high-growth, and sustainable alternative development policy” — and, I would add, model — over the past decade.
His name is Abdul Wahid Shaikh.
He was a schoolteacher in Mumbai.
On July 11 2006 seven bombs exploded on Mumbai’s suburban trains during evening rush hour.
189 people died.
Police arrested 13 men including Wahid.
He had nothing to do with it.
He spent 9 years in jail waiting for trial.
In 2015 a court acquitted him. Zero evidence. He walked out.
But 12 other men from the same case were still inside.
For the next 10 years Wahid did not rest.
He fought for those 12 men from outside the prison.
On July 21 2025 the Bombay High Court acquitted all 12.
The court said the prosecution utterly failed to prove the case. Confessions were extracted through torture. Witnesses were unreliable.
19 years. For nothing.
No compensation was paid to any of them.
No police officer was held accountable.
No apology was issued by the state.
Wahid distributed sweets outside the courtroom that day.
That is the kind of man wrongful imprisonment could not break.
His name was Manjunath Shanmugam.
He was an IIM Lucknow graduate.
He got a job with Indian Oil Corporation as a sales officer.
His territory was Uttar Pradesh.
He found that petrol pump dealers were adulterating fuel and cheating customers.
He reported it. He sealed the pumps.
On November 19 2005 a petrol pump owner shot him dead outside his office.
He was 27 years old.
The killers were convicted. Sentenced to life imprisonment.
His parents did not get compensation for 15 years.
His college created the Manjunath Shanmugam Trust in his name to fight corruption.
Some men die because they refused to look the other way.
India forgets them too quickly.
My FAN moment: 67 year old Elizabeth Joseph who works as a flower seller outside the St Antony’s Church in Kochi. One of her children is now an IT engineer, the daughter a teacher. Comes to work at 5 am and stays till midnight, makes Rs 2000 on a good day. Celebrates all festivals: Xmas, Diwali, Eid and of course Onam. Maybe this is the Keralam/India story that should be told and inspire, no? ⭐️👍 #ElectionsOnMyPlate
After more than 7 years of the Modi government’s captive agencies like CBI relentlessly harassing @PrannoyRoy7749 and Radhika Roy who built a standout media institution like @ndtv , the CBI finally files a closure report for ‘want of evidence’. It was these cases that eventually led to the takeover of @ndtv by Mr Gautam Adani. The process is the punishment in our country. Is it any wonder that India ranks 161/ 180 in media freedom rankings.#NDTV
Happy Birthday to Dr Manmohan Singh. He came from very humble background. Family migrated to India during Partition. Lost mother when Young. Stood first entire career. Did Masters. Became RBI Governor. We know these by reading about him. He never spoke about it to gain sympathy
Hindi did nothing for this country! But our mother tongue & English did!
You have no need to worry about Uniting India.. because We are already United for 75 years!
-Tara
"What is the son of a South Indian Brahmin father and a Islamic Sufi mother known as sir?"
A Brahmin? A Muslim? A Hindu? A What?
"Nothing can describe my Son, other than as INDIAN" - #SitaramYechury