Chennai: The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led Tamil Nadu government has put Balveer Singh, assistant superintendent of police (ASP), Ambasamudram, Tirunelveli district, accused of custodial torture, on “compulsory waiting list”. It has also ordered a probe into the allegations though one of the ‘victims’ retracted his statement later Wednesday.
Singh is accused of plucking the teeth of at least 10 men in custody. He is also alleged to have crushed the testicles of two of them.
Speaking in the state assembly, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said Wednesday that Cheranmahadevi sub-collector Mohamed Shabbir Alam will conduct the inquiry and submit a report soon.
He said, “The ASP has been put on a compulsory waiting list. I have also given instructions for his suspension. Further action will be based on the inquiry report.”
Stalin was responding to a special call attention motion moved by some legislators on the alleged custodial torture earlier this month in Ambasamudram, Tirunelveli district.
Taking suo motu cognisance of the allegations, the State Human Rights Commission has also ordered that an IG-rank official probes the allegation.
The incident allegedly occurred on 10 March when the accused were taken into custody for interrogation in a case. The allegations came to light on 23 March when a video of three of the men talking about their torture went viral, following which, Tirunelveli District Collector K.P. Karthikeyan ordered an inquiry.
Wednesday evening, the ‘victims’ had appeared before the sub-collector to give their statement. One of them, identified as Surya, told the media later that he lost his teeth in a fall.
A 2020 batch officer, Singh, also an IIT Bombay graduate, was posted as Ambasamudram ASP on 15 October last year.
Meanwhile, political parties have raised concerns about the law and order situation in the state. Taking to social media, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president K. Annamalai demanded justice for the victims and punishment for the officer, and tweeted, “The plight of the public who seek protection from the police who are supposed to ensure safety, is saddening.”
Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) MP Vaiko said in a statement that the allegations will dent the image of the police force, and demanded that a case be registered against the officer.
While demanding the officer’s dismissal, Paattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder Dr S. Ramadoss also sought Singh’s arrest for not following the ‘Supreme Court guidelines & human rights’.
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
Also read: Row over ‘custodial torture death’ in Telangana. ‘Thrashed, forced to give wrong custody dates’