Thrashed, finger broken: Brutal Kerala Police custodial torture of Armyman and his brother sends shockwaves
The victims' family claimed that five more police personnel from the Kilikolloor police station were involved in the custodial torture. Vignesh lost his opportunity to join the police force, and Vishnu's marriage was called off.
FollowAfter the shocking case of alleged custodial torture of an army soldier and his brother in Kerala's Kilikolloor police station triggered a massive backlash, four police officers from the station have been suspended. But the story is far from over.
According to a preliminary inquiry, the brothers -- Vishnu and Vignesh -- were falsely accused by some officers in a drug case and subjected to brutal beating inside the police station. The suspended personnel include Killikolur police station SHO Circle Inspector Vinod K, Sub-Inspector Aneesh AP, ASI Prakash Chandran and civil police officer Manikandan Pillai.
The case in detail
On August 25, Vignesh, a native of Peroor in Kollam, had been summoned to the police station to bail out a person who had been picked up in an MDMA drug case in Karikode junction. However, Vignesh refused to pay for bail since it was a drug trafficking case and was awaiting the result of his application for a job in Kerala Police. Besides, Vignesh is also a member of the Communist Party of India-affiliated Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI).
Meanwhile, the cops told Vignesh to wait at the police station. A while later, Vignesh's elder brother Vishnu, who is in the Indian Army and who had come home for his marriage discussions, arrived at the station searching for him on a bike. Just outside the police station -- after allegedly failing to put on the parking indicator -- Vishnu was allegedly accosted by ASI Prakash Chandran, who was in plain clothes. An altercation ensued, during which the ASI allegedly ripped Vishnu's shirt pocket.
Following this, Vishnu entered the police station to lodge a complaint against the officer and accused the latter of being intoxicated. There was another violent altercation between the two, during which, the police initially claimed, the ASI suffered a head injury. Vishnu was immediately arrested for assaulting a police officer. Both brothers were allegedly brutalised for hours.
According to Vignesh, one of the cops allegedy broke Vishnu's index finger, saying he would never be in a position to pull the trigger again. Vignesh claimed that Aneesh pulled his head down and repeatedly hit him on his backbone. Vignesh also alleged that they were asked to drink urine out of a cup when they asked for water.
They were booked under IPC section 353 for attacking policemen on duty and forcibly trying to release one of the prisoners. They were sent to police remand for 12 days.
They were released thereafter but were allegedly warned against showing their wounds or informing others about what had happened during the police remand. In his complaint, Vignesh claims that the cops threatened to plant drugs at his home and frame his mother in the case if they dared to speak of their ordeal.
The brothers reportedly did not speak of the custodial torture for days but collected evidence against the police officials in the meantime. The brothers reportedly asked the doctor who treated them to take photographs of their injuries. Armed with documentation, they approached the Kerala Police top brass on Thursday, following which the officers involved were transferred to other stations.
However, it is alleged that the police department tried to shield the cops by allegedly transferring them to stations closer to their homes. After an uproar and a preliminary probe, severe lapses on the part of the accused officers came to light, and they were suspended. Kollam City Police Commissioner Merin Joseph is expected to submit a report on the matter to the state police chief today.
Meanwhile, the victims' family claimed that five more police personnel from the Kilikolloor police station were involved in the custodial torture. Vignesh lost his opportunity to join the police force, and Vishnu's marriage was called off.
Political storm over custodial torture
The police brutality case has triggered a political storm, with both the Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front and the ruling Left Front deprecating the conduct of the Kerala police.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K Sudhakaran compared police stations in the state with concentration camps. Stating that such cases of police atrocities were being reported daily, Sudhakaran said police stations in Kerala were much worse than those during the British rule.
Leader of Opposition in the Assembly V D Satheesan reiterated his earlier claim that police stations in the state were functioning as per the directives of the local Left leadership and not as per senior police officers' orders.
Taking cognizance of media reports, the State Human Rights Commission has registered a case in connection with custodial violence. The Commission directed the Kollam District police chief to submit a probe report within 15 days.
