India News | Tribal Man Says He Was Tortured in Custody & Forced to Confess to Thefts
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. A tribal man's claim on Saturday that he was tortured in custody and forced to confess to some thefts, led to the Opposition Congress and AISF, the youth wing of CPI and an ally of the ruling LDF, demanding action against the personnel concerned, but the charge was rubbished by a top police official.
Wayanad, Nov 27 (PTI) A tribal man's claim on Saturday that he was tortured in custody and forced to confess to some thefts, led to the Opposition Congress and AISF, the youth wing of CPI and an ally of the ruling LDF, demanding action against the personnel concerned, but the charge was rubbished by a top police official.
Also Read | Pune: 4 Arrested for Duping Dentist of Rs 1 Crore by Falsely Offering Job in Mantralaya.
Deepu (22) from Athikadavu Paniya Tribal colony near Meenangadi here, told some television channels that he was tortured by police and forced to confess to a car theft case on November 5 and also stealing a bike and theft in a house later.
Also Read | Tripura Violence: Police To Review UAPA Cases Against Journalists, Lawyers.
His relatives charged the police with fabricating a false case against him and said he does not know driving.
However, Wayanad Superintendent of Police Aravind Sukumar rejected all the allegations and told PTI that the accused, using a duplicate key, got into the car and moved for some distance, but was caught by the locals.
"He was trying to steal the car from Bathery. His fingerprints matched in a burglary case, where gold and a mobile phone were stolen from a house. There was another instance in Meenangadi where he stole a scooter," the SP said, adding that, a detailed probe was being done by the Bathery Deputy Superintendent of Police.
Acting on a complaint by Deepu's mother, K Baijunath, a Judicial member of the State Human Rights Commission had on Wednesday last ordered the District Superintendent of Police to conduct an enquiry in the issue. The SHRC will hear the case on December 14.
Congress leader and MLA, I C Balakrishnan told the media that the police action amounted to "gross injustice" to Dalit communities and that the Congress will extend legal support to the victim.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)