VILLUPURAM: A couple of weeks after 10 Irular tribals were arrested by police, the Irular Protection of Rights and Welfare Association has decided to stage a protest against their “illegal detention”, outside the Villupuram Collectorate on September 9.
Professor Kalvimani aka Kalyani, activist and founder of the association told Express, “The police have illegally detained 10 Irular tribal men in theft case. The police informed us that the CCTV footage will be shown for clarification. But four days after the arrest, the police have arrested some more men from Kancheepuram. The video wasn’t shown to us. Instead, they were put in Cuddalore central prison and the family members who met them in the jail said the men were brutally beaten and were not provided medical aid too.”
R Vasantha, mother of R Babu, the first person to be arrested by the police, on August 26, said, “My son and 9 others were arrested by police but we are not sure for what crime... When we met them at Cuddalore prison, I saw injury on their legs and eyes.” Vasantha and other members of the association have requested the Superintendent of Police to provide medical aid. Villupuram SP Jeyakumar said, “They have stolen money from temple. We have the CCTV footage of the incident as a proof. They also robbed a house at Thiruvennainallur. It is not an illegal arrest.”
5 bonded labourers rescued
A family of five bonded labourers, including an eight-year-old boy, was rescued from a brick kiln in Ranipeton Thursday.The family, belonging to Irular community, was made to work under bondage from April 13, 2019.The police said that the family borrowed around `1,01,000 from the brick kiln owner and worked at the unit to repay the amount. But, they were treated as bonded labourers