Tamil Nadu: FIR against suspended IPS officer accused of torturing suspects

Tirunelveli District police slapped a case against Balveer Singh, a 2020 batch IPS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre

Three weeks after a group of men levelled allegations of torture against now suspended Assistant Superintendent of Police Balveer Singh , the Tamil Nadu Police on Monday registered a First Information Report (FIR) against him.

Tirunelveli District police slapped a case against Singh, a 2020 batch IPS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre, under sections 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), and 506 (1) punishment for criminal intimidation.

While section 324 carries a maximum punishment of three years, it is 10 years under section 326, and seven years under section 506 (1). The action by the Tamil Nadu government comes on the day senior bureaucrat P Amudha began her second phase of investigation into the complaints against Singh.

Also Read | Custodial torture allegations against TN ASP: IAS officer to conduct second phase of inquiry next week

The DMK dispensation came under heavy criticism from activists and others for its inaction in the case. Despite over a dozen men complaining that they were brutally attacked by the ASP, the government refused to file a FIR against him even after suspending the IPS officer on March 29.

The shocking allegations of custodial torture by Singh was first levelled by a group of men on March 26 who accused the IPS officer of using knocking out their teeth with cutting pliers and stones. Some also alleged that the officer, who was the ASP of Ambasamudram, had crushed their testicles.

In a video released, three men had said the ASP who was at the Ambasamudram police station took them and six others afterarrest in a case relating to a clash over a love affair and knocked their teeth with cutting pliers and stones.

“The ASP who was wearing white gloves called me and knocked my teeth with a stone. Others who came with me including my brothers were also subjected to similar torture by the police officer. My brother is newly married and he is now confined to his bed,” one of the victims had said in the video.

Others who appeared in the video also made similar allegations against the ASP, against whom Tirunelveli District Collector K P Karthikeyan ordered an inquiry on the day the video surfaced. But the inquiry by the sub-collector of Cheranmadevi came under criticism after a few victims said they were being pressured by police not to testify against the officer.

Alleged custodial torture of people in police custody aren’t new in Tamil Nadu with a slew of such cases reported in the past few years. A father-son duo died in 2020 due to injuries suffered from custodial torture by policemen.