TIRUNELVELI: DGP C Sylendra Babu on Wednesday transferred the Ambasamudram custodial torture case to the CB-CID from the district crime branch police based on the recommendations of P Amudha, senior IAS officer appointed to conduct a high-level inquiry, in her interim report.
“The case on the allegation that (suspended) Ambasamudram ASP Balveer Singh and other police personnel tortured some persons is under the inquiry of DSP of DCB,” a press note from the DGP office said. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, crime branch DSP Pon Raghu conducted an inquiry for two hours with E Subash. The crime branch police had filed a case against Singh and other police personnel on Monday based on Subash’s complaint.
According to a signed copy of the FIR handed over to Subash by DSP Raghu in Tirunelveli in Wednesday, “On March 23, Singh removed my (Subash’s) three teeth and damaged another one which the dentist removed later. Also, he removed three teeth of my friend Venkatesh and one tooth of another friend Lakshmi Sankar in front of me under police custody.
Police personnel Basheer, Isakki, Rajkumar, Sudalai, Vignesh, Sadam and one unknown personnel helped Singh during the torture. Police inspector Rajakumari, who admitted us to the Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital and forcefully discharged us later, prepared fake documents in which we were forced to sign accepting that we lost our teeth in a fall from a vehicle. Rajakumari, sub-inspector Abraham Joseph, and an advocate gave us Rs 30,000 each and video-recorded it. We were also threatened with Goondas Act if we told anyone about the torture.”
Meanwhile, Surya, the first victim to file a complaint against Singh and later turned hostile, said he too was forced by police to say that he lost his teeth in a fall. “In my statement to P Amudha through videoconference on Tuesday night, I clearly explained about the custodial torture I underwent in Kallidaikurichi police station. Earlier, police had told me not to talk against Singh. They threatened to file case against me under SC/ST (PoA) Act,” he told TNIE.
Arun Halder, vice-chairman of National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), has scheduled to hear the case of denial of medical records to SC custodial torture victims under the RTI Act by the public information officer, Government Hospital, Ambasamudram on Thursday in Tamil Nadu State Guest House, Chepauk, Chennai. In its notice, the NCSC has directed principal secretary, health and family welfare department and DGP to attend the hearing along with officials.