MADURAI: Urging the authorities to enact laws to prevent custodial torture and protect human rights activists, members of the Joint Action Committee Against Custodial Torture (JAACT) staged a demonstration outside the collectorate here. They also urged Chief Minister MK Stalin to take action against police officials who failed to prevent the hooch tragedy in Kallakurichi.
Addressing the gathering, People’s Watch Executive Director Henri Tiphagne briefed on the significance of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, observed on June 26.
Citing several examples, Tiphagne also explained how the police are involved in custodial torture. “Police allegedly threaten the family members of custodial torture victims’. Even though the Supreme Court has ordered that the CCTV footage from the police stations must be given to the victims and their family members, the police do not abide by the order,” he said, and named Mathichiyam police station as an example where the victim and their family members approached the court and obtained the CCTV footage.
Over 50 members participated in the protest. They also urged the state government to press the central government to enact laws to safeguard human rights, revoke the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and withdraw the case filed against author Arundhati Roy.