TN rescinds order extending 'Friends of Police' across state

Chennai, July 8 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday rescinded its earlier order to extend the 'Friends of Police' (FOP) initiative across the state.According to a government order issued on Wednesday it was done after an adverse report was received from the Director General of Police.There have been demands from various political parties and others to ban the FOP as their members were allegedly used by the police in Sathankulam in Tuticorin district in assaulting P. Jeyaraj and his son J. Bennicks, resulting in their custodial death in June.The Central Bureau of India (CBI) has sin ce taken over the probe into the custodial deaths. Five suspended policemen working in the Sathankulam police station also have been arrested.
--IANS vj/tsb