CAA row: Ex-IPS officer, actress claim police atrocity

Retired IPS officer S.R.Darapuri, who had been arrested on charges of taking part in the protests against the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act last month and was granted bail by the court, claimed that he was tortured in the jail and was not provided with the basic facilities.

Darapuri, who was released from the jail on Tuesday, said that the cops ''singled out'' the Muslims among those arrested and thrashed them mercilessly. ''I was not allowed to take my medicines...I was not given food and was also denied a blanket,'' the 72-year old retired IPS officer said.

Septuagenarian Darapuri's arrest had triggered outrage and the cops had tried to prevent Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from visiting his residence and also allegedly manhandled her.

Actress and Congress leader Sadaf Jafar, who was also arrested with Darapuri and was released on Tuesday after being granted bail, alleged that she was brutally beaten by the cops inside the police station.

''I was called Pakistani by the cops....my family was not informed about my arrest,'' she said. Sadaf, who was taken into custody while she was live-streaming the protests, said that she would approach the court challenging her arrest by the UP police.

Both of them vowed to continue their protest against the CAA, which, they termed as ''unconstitutional'' and ''against the Muslims''.

The duo was granted bail after the police failed to furnish any evidence connecting them with the violent protests.