Activist awarded Rs 2L for arrest after raising slogans against BJP govt

The compensation will be paid to the man's father A A Samy

The Tamil Nadu Human Rights Commission has awarded a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to a mathematics research scholar at a Canadian university for being arrested for allegedly shouting slogans against Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Tamilisai Soundarajan while she was the Tamil Nadu BJP President in 2018.

The compensation will be paid to the researcher's father A A Samy.

The incident took place after research scholar Lois Sofia came out of a flight from Chennai to Thoothukudi in which Soundarajan was a co-passenger.

On seeing the current L-G during the flight, Lois shouted slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying "Down Down Fascist BJP government".

As the researcher reached the Thoothukudi airport, the BJP workers present there threatened her as well as her parents but the police officer present at the airport, Nitya intervened and defused the situation.

However, Pudukottai police Sub-Inspector S. Thiruvamalai reached the scene and took the researcher into custody and sent her to the police station.

At the police station, the researcher's parents were asked to wait outside while she was questioned for more than six hours.

The researcher's father complained to the state human rights body that his daughter was subjected to six hours of custodial interrogation which led to mental trauma.

The human rights body member, D. Jayachandran in the order said the arrest of Lois Sofia, who is a research scholar and a human rights activist, was not necessary.

He observed that the Sub-Inspector and All Women police station Inspector, A.K. Latha fabricated the FIR by inserting section 505(1)(B) of the IPC after preparing the FIR and had removed the original FIR from the records.

The human rights commission observed that the developments had affected the liberty and freedom of the victim and said the seven police officers involved in the incident had violated the human rights of Lois.

The Commission in its order said monetary compensation was the only suitable remedy for the infringement of the fundamental rights of a citizen by a public servant and ordered a compensation of Rs two lakh to Lois Sofia.

It directed that action must be taken against all the police officers involved and the compensation amount should be paid by them.

The commission directed that the Tamil Nadu government must recover the compensation amount from the respondents such as Rs 50,000 from Thirumalai and Rs 25,000 each from six others, including A.K. Latha; police Inspector at Pudukottai police station, V. Ponaramu, Additional Superintendent of Police, Thoothukudi; R. Prakash, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Thoothukudi; J.Annathai, Police Sub-Inspector, Pudukottai; C. Baskaran, Inspector, Special Branch, CID, and S. Nambirajan, Sub-Inspector, Special branch, Thoothukudi.

It ordered the state government to pay the compensation to the victim within a month.

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