CHENNAI: The State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) on Tuesday issued a notice to the Principal Secretary of the state and the Director-General of Police seeking a detailed report asking whether the state police had any legal sanction in using the Friends of Police (FOP) for its official functions.
The commission issued the notice based on a petition filed by an advocate from Thoothukudi on the alleged involvement of FOP members in the custodial deaths at Sathankulam.
The advocate, E Athisayakumar, in his two-page petition, claimed that the FOP was involved in the death of P Jeyaraj and J Benicks who allegedly died after custodial torture by Sathankulam police.
The FOP work with the police in the region and even carry lathies assisting policemen in some of their duties, he said. The advocate also stated that the FOP were involved in violence against certain sections of the community and prayed for the entire unit to be disbanded.
Based on the petition, the SHRC asked whether using the FOP to carry out the functions of the Tamil Nadu police has led to human rights violations. The commission sought a report within four weeks.