NEW DELHI: A rights group says nearly 600 people died in Indian police custody from 2009-2015, many after being tortured.
Human Rights Watch says in a report released Monday that police regularly disregard arrest procedures and torture suspects in custody to death. The police often blame the deaths on suicide or illness.
The New York-based rights group urges India to implement a string of often-ignored regulations and prosecute officers involved in the alleged mistreatment of prisoners.
While torture is illegal in India, and law enforcement agencies in many countries now say it does little to elicit accurate information, many Indian police are open about their use of the "third degree" — a term that can encompass anything from a couple slaps to a savage beating — to extract details or confessions.