Suspended IPS officer Balveer Singh booked under SC/ST Act

In more trouble for suspended IPS officer Balveer Singh, the Tamil Nadu Police have registered two fresh FIRs, including one under the SC/ST Act, against him for allegedly torturing suspects in police stations during his tenure as Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) in Tirunelveli district.

The Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID) registered the cases on Tuesday night following complaints from 19-year-old Arunkumar and an auto rickshaw driver in Tirunelveli district. One of the cases registered against the SP is under SC/ST Act as the victim belongs to the community.

With this, the number of cases filed against Singh has risen to three. “The officer is likely to be summoned for investigation very soon,” a police officer told DH.

Tirunelveli police had last month booked the IPS officer 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, following which the case was transferred to the CB-CID.

Read | U-turn in TN custodial torture: Victim says teeth were broken after a fall

The case was transferred to CB-CID following a recommendation by senior bureaucrat P Amudha who is inquiring into the allegations against the ASP. Besides the CB-CID probe, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) are also conducting independent inquiries into the allegations.

Chief Minister M K Stalin and his government came under severe criticism over “callous” handling of the case against the ASP ever since the allegations were made in the public domain on March 26. Though Stalin suspended Singh on March 29, the FIR came a fortnight later on April 17, which activists say was an attempt to save the police officer.

The shocking allegations of custodial torture by Singh was first levelled by a group of men on March 26 when they accused the IPS officer of 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 the past one month, at least a dozen men have come forward to level allegations of torture against the now-suspended IPS officer. The government also placed six police personnel in the district on compulsory wait for their alleged involvement in the case.