In April 2024, Raja—a cook and Dalit father of three—died within hours of being taken into custody by the Tamil Nadu police. His family alleged he was tortured, and the case files reveal a series of holes in police claims. A year later, there is no chargesheet. His children have dropped out of school, and his wife continues her fight for justice. Raja’s story reflects a deeper national crisis of routine deaths in police custody, with caste and class often deciding who gets justice. There have been 100 deaths in police custody in Tamil Nadu over 17 years. No one has ever been convicted.