TIRUNELVELI: Senior IAS officer P Amudha’s interim report on the Ambasamudram custodial torture cases, accessed by TNIE, hinted at the various health complications that one of the victims, who was newly married at the time, had developed after his testicles were allegedly crushed by a Balveer Singh-led team. The report was submitted to the chief secretary on April 19, 2023.
“In a letter, the dean of the Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital (TvMCH) informed the inquiry officer that one of the victims, Mariappan (32), is under treatment in a case of Ambasamudram police sub-division, with the complaint of alleged assault, abdominal pain, liver abscess, and enamel fracture of upper central incisor tooth,” the report read.
Mariappan was among more than 10 victims in the custodial torture cases. In March 2023, he alleged that Singh had crushed his testicles apart from damaging his gums and teeth with stones just after he had got married. The TNIE had also spoken to him at that time.
The interim report revealed that the teeth of three victims in Kallidaikurichi custodial torture case — Lakshmi Shankar, Subash, and Venkatesh — who were also suspects of a police case, were allegedly removed by a Singh-led team. After this, a different case was registered against Venkatesh, which said that he had gotten into a fight with Shankar and Subash, which in turn had led to the trio losing their teeth.
Amudha said, “Based on CCTV footage, records collected by Cheranmahadevi sub-collector, and Subash’s statement, it is clear that the incident of assault and torture by Singh and his team at Kallidaikurichi station on March 23, 2023, is true.”