On October 20th, 2011, Keenan Santos and his friend Reuben Fernandez, both in their 20s, were killed by a group of men, when they tried to protect their female friends from being harassed in Mumbai. Five years and several delays later, their families await the final verdict on the matter. Keenan’s father Valerian Santos joined The Quint for a live chat on his tireless journey seeking justice for his son. He also has a rather strong message for men, women, law & order authorities and society at large- “Don’t let the fear of the law keep you from doing good for humanity”.
Mr Santos recounts the horrors of the night he lost his beloved son, but mentions in the same breath that he’s proud that his son did his duty, even at the cost of losing his own life.
After dinner at the Amboli Bar and Kitchen in Mumbai, Keenan, Reuben and their friends, Avinash Solanki, Benjamin Fernandez (Reuben’s brother), Priyanka Fernandes and two other women, were visiting a neighbourhood paan shop when a group of men began to pass lewd remarks at the women. When Keenan objected to the remarks, they thought the issue had ended then. The group then left, only to return with weapons along with 20 others and killed Keenan, while wounding Reuben, who succumbed to his injuries a week later.
Valerian Santos hopes to see justice in the form of life sentences for each of the accused men. He wants them to breathe their last in prison, not just for taking innocent lives, but also for being ‘termites that society needs to get rid of urgently’. A special women’s court will give its verdict in the matter on May 5th, 2016.
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