Bengaluru: Rights group alleges custodial torture in Dalit youth’s death; demands judicial inquiry

Bengaluru: A rights group has alleged that a 22-year-old Dalit youth died after custodial torture by the Vivekanagar police.

PUCL president Arvind Narrain said police “illegally detained, assaulted, and transferred” the victim, Darshan PG, to a rehab centre despite him being “grievously injured”.

A PUCL fact-finding team of advocates and activists visited the family’s home in Sonnenahalli, near Viveknagar.

The family and PUCL sought protection for Darshan’s mother Adilakshmi and wife Ashwini, arrest and dismissal of all Viveknagar police personnel named in the case, invocation of the Atrocities Act, a judicial inquiry, and withdrawal of the CID probe.

Two policemen, including a constable identified as Pavan, allegedly beat Darshan outside his house around 1.30 am on November 15 before taking him away.

Darshan had allegedly caused panic at a church by flashing a weapon. He was not booked, as the family said he was under the influence of drugs and asked that he be admitted to a rehabilitation centre.

PUCL said Adilakshmi saw him in the lock-up on November 16 and that he was “unable to walk due to the assault”. Police then handed him over to the Unity Foundation Rehab Centre near Nelamangala, allegedly telling him to say he “fell off a bike”.

On November 26, the family received a call from the centre, saying Darshan had died. Doctors informed them of injury marks on his body, raising suspicion of assault.

“No one should face assault the way my husband did. He was beaten by the police. The CID should take immediate action against police personnel named in the FIR,” Ashwini said.

On November 27, based on the family’s complaint, Madanayakanahalli police registered a case and transferred the probe to the CID, which invoked sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh on Tuesday suspended the Viveknagar police inspector and appointed Veeresh R as the in-charge inspector until further notice.