Form medical boards to treat custodial torture victims: DME

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Directorate of Medical Education (DME) has instructed the government medical college hospitals (MCH) to constitute permanent medical boards to deal with the treatment of people who are victims of police custodial torture.

The DME also directed the superintendents/principals of the MCHs to depute senior-most doctors to carry out medical screening of persons brought from police custody. The circular issued by the DME said if available, the unit chief himself/herself should attend to such persons.

The medical colleges have also been warned not to examine the patients in the presence of police officers. Medical tests of such persons, if required, should be done immediately, the circular said. The DME’s instruction has come as a follow-up to the recommendations of Justice Narayana Kurup, who had asked the government to do proper medical tests to check whether the suspects taken into police custody had sustained internal injuries due to third-degree interrogation. The recommendations were part of the 153-page report that Justice Kurup had filed before the government on the custodial death of Rajkumar of Nedumkandam.

Justice Kurup had found that Rajkumar died due to multiple organ failure arising out of complications due to the custodial torture. Though Rajkumar was produced before doctors of the taluk hospitals in Peermade and Nedumkandam, and Kottayam Medical College Hospital, they overlooked the injuries, the report had revealed.

Justice Kurup had recommended the government to conduct tests including renal profile, creatine phosphokinase test and ultrasound scan of the abdomen of the suspects to rule out internal injuries. The government had instructed the health department to implement the recommendations, but the circular was kept in abeyance. This circular was questioned by doctor Prathibha K of Malappuram in the High Court, which ruled that doctors attending to an accused can conduct medical tests if required. The court had also ordered the government to formulate a guideline for the doctors in this regard within two months.