VILLUPURAM: In a letter to the Chief Secretary of State, the wife of a 45-year-old tribal Irular man, who was allegedly tortured in police custody along with six other men from the community, demanded that the officers be booked under SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act on Friday.
A Arumugam's wife A Karpagam stated in the letter that her husband and six others were detained by Mailam and Kandamangalam police in Villupuram district between February 25 to 28, and tortured to accept to several theft cases from last year. The men were apparently present at their respective residences at brick kilns on all days of the theft cases, which were falsely lodged against the Irular tribals, alleged the letter.
One of the seven men was a 19-year-old who was partially blind. He was tortured by putting chilli powder in his eyes, the letter stated. "Despite the government trying to protect the dignity and better the lives of tribals, police officers still impose false crimes on Irular tribal people. We request the Chief Minister to help us. The police officer who brutally tortured the tribal men must be booked under SC/ST PoA Act for custodial violence," Karpagam told TNIE.