I waited nervously in the corridors of the district court complex in Thrissur, Kerala, along with Krishnan and his wife, Omana. Omana dabbed her face with a thin handkerchief, crying softly – my nervousness was surely a pale proxy for their grief. It was a hot afternoon in late 2017 and we were waiting for their case to be called by the Kerala State Police Complaints Authority (KSPCA), where I was assisting the lawyers in a case regarding the custodial killing and torture of the Dalit couple's son. Over the next few months, I would accompany them to the Kerala State Human Rights Commission (KSHRC), watching them continue to hope for closure, or perhaps even justice. With this hope, they would look to five different state authorities: statutory, judicial and quasi-judicial.
In July 2017, Vinayakan, their 19-year-old son died by suicide in their home in Engandiyur, Thrissur. Vinayakan had been stopped and questioned by a police officer in plain clothes earlier that month. He was on a motorbike with his friend Sarath, when they stopped on the side of the road to speak to Vinayakan's female friend. They were still chatting when a police officer emerged to question them. Soon, Vinayakan and Sarath were asked to accompany the police officer to the Pavaratty police station for more 'questioning'.