Custodial torture: TN human rights body to move Madras HC against revoking IPS officer's suspension
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Chennai: People‘s Watch, a human rights organisation based in Madurai, is set to move the Madras High Court in a case related to the revoking of the suspension of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Balveer Singh, widely accused in the Ambasamudram custodial torture case.
Henri Tiphagane, Executive Director, of the organisation, has said that he will move the High Court against the state government's decision to revoke the suspension of Singh.
The Tamil Nadu government has recently revoked the police officer’s suspension.
Balveer Singh, while serving as Assistant Superintendent of Police in Ambasamudram is alleged to have pulled out the teeth of youths in three police stations under the Ambasamudram subdivision.
The police officer is also accused of inserting gravel in the mouths of the victims and plucking out their teeth while other policemen held them forcefully.
The related incidents took place between March 10 and 23 in 2023. After the complaints from victims, human rights activists like Henri Tiphagane brought out the brutal incidents before the world.
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Following a hue and cry, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin ordered an investigation against the police officer.
The Crime Branch CID of the Tamil Nadu Police charge-sheeted him in three cases and he was put on suspension.
Tamil Nadu government authorities, however, said that Balveer Singh was under suspension since the last nine months and being a central service officer, he could not be kept under suspension for long. The officials said that he would be given a non-sensitive posting.
Henri Tiphangane said that the state government was trying to shield the IPS officer from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in the Ambasamudram custodial torture case. He also urged Chief Minister Stalin to release the high-level inquiry report submitted by IAS officer P. Amudha.
It may be noted that after the victims were allegedly tortured in police stations on March 10 and 23, an inquiry was conducted by Sub-divisional Magistrate Cheranmahadevi and Sub Collector Md. Shabbir Alam.
After the victims of the alleged torture spoke to media outlets, the chief minister appointed Amudha to conduct a high-level probe in April 2023 but the report was kept a secret.
Meanwhile, Arunkumar, a victim, had approached the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court and sought for the report to be released. Following a subsequent appeal, the state government released the interim report on Thursday.
Tiphagne said the investigating agencies omitted the names of non-SC/ST officers in the charge sheet, to safeguard them from the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities Act).
With agency inputs
