JOIN USTamil Nadu ASP accused of torturing people placed under suspension
Under pressure to act, the Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday placed under suspension an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) following allegations by a group of men that the police officer subjected them to torture by knocking out their teeth with cutting pliers.
Chief Minister M K Stalin, while responding to a calling attention motion brought by MLAs from several parties, said the Sub-collector (Cheranmadevi) of Tenkasi district ordered an inquiry against Balveer Singh, the ASP of Ambasamudram, immediately after allegations were levelled against him.
“I have told this House earlier that this government will not tolerate human rights violations in police stations. I have ordered the suspension of the ASP who is involved in an unsavoury incident,” Stalin told the Assembly. He also said the government will act against everyone who is involved in the incident once the report on the incident is available.
Stalin’s statement comes two days after Director General of Police (DGP) C Sylendra Babu placed the ASP on “compulsory wait.” The government came under intense pressure from opposition parties and alliance partners to act against the ASP.
In a video released, three men said that the police officer who was at the Ambasamudram police station when they along with six others were taken there after being arrested in a case relating to clash over a love affair 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 said in the video.
In his statement, the Chief Minister also said the number of crimes and community clashes have reduced after the DMK assumed office in May 2021. “The number of murders in 2019 under the AIADMK government was 1,670, but it has been brought down to 1,596 in 2022. I reiterate that our government will allow the police force to act independently and will ensure that those on the wrong side of the law will be punished irrespective of who they are,” Stalin added.
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 Sunday.
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.