NHRC issues notice to TN govt over police torture case

New Delhi, Aug 23 (PTI) The National Human RightsCommission has issued a notice to Tamil Nadu government foralleged physical torture meted out to a juvenile boy and histwo family members, belonging to a tribal community, duringtheir illegal detention by police in connection with aburglary case. The Commission has issued the notice to state’s ChiefSecretary and the Director General of Police, calling for adetailed report, including the action if any, taken againstthe erring police personnel, within four weeks. The NHRC in a statement today said "They were subjected tounbearable torture and inhuman treatment by the police duringtheir detention at the police station for three days." "The victims were made partially naked, beaten up with awooden log and were being forced to name someone from theircommunity for his involvement in the theft," it claimed. "Badly injured, they had to drink the water, fetched fromthe lock-up toilet, as the drinking water was not available tothem," it said. The 17-year-old boy and his family belonged to Kuravaethnic community and action against them was taken by thepolice purportedly on the ground that they belonged to thetribe dubbed by the British as criminals under the CriminalTribes Act, 1871, the NHRC said. The Commission has taken suo motu cognizance of a mediareport carried on the August 7. The story makes reference toPuducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi’s tweet that "Ex-CriminalTribes are known to be very cruel. They are hardcoreprofessionals in committing crimes. Rarely caught and/orconvicted." "The contents of the news report are a matter of concern.The incident, alleging illegal detention of a young boy,physical torture of the family members and atrocitiescommitted by the police personnel, indicates towards violationof human right to life, liberty and dignity of the victims,"it said. The NHRC has observed that no human being should besubjected to discrimination merely on the fact that he belongsto a particular caste, creed or community. On July 31, some police personnel from the Ambattur PoliceStation, in Chennai, picked them up from his hut inCholavandipuram, Villupuram district for questioning about anincident of burglary about which he had no idea, the statementsaid. Reportedly, the family has filed a habeas corpus petitionin the Madras High Court for the two relatives of the boy whowere detained by police along with him. The Joint Commissioner of Police (West), Chennai,reportedly stated that they were arrested for burglary and 18sovereigns of jewellery had been recovered from one of them.He, however, also said that he was not aware of detention ofany juvenile by the police. PTI KND DBS RGDBS