Twenty three days after the custodial torture case came to light, the Tamil Nadu government has decided to register an FIR against the former ASP of Ambasamudram, Balveer Singh IPS. The IPS officer has been booked under sections 324 (causing hurt by weapons), 326 (grievous hurt by dangerous weapons) and 506/1 (Punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. Action against Balveer Singh comes ahead of the Home department demands for grants held by Chief Minister MK Stalin in Tamil Nadu Assembly on Thursday, April 20.
The IPS officer has been accused of breaking the teeth of detainees including minors with large stones and cutting pliers at the Ambasamudram police station in the state’s Tirunelveli district. The issue came to light on March 26 when three men recorded a video saying that they were tortured at the Ambasamudram police station by Balveer Singh and the other police officers there.In the video, the men said that their teeth were broken using large stones and cutting pliers. One of the men in the video, Chellappa, said that his brother was sexually assaulted and kicked on the chest by the police officers. When TNM visited Tirunelveli and spoke to the victims, it was revealed that Balveer Singh had also tortured minors who belonged to marginalised communities.
The video began doing the rounds on social media and on March 27, Balveer Singh was transferred and put on a compulsory wait list. On March 28, the Tamil Nadu State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) initiated suo motu proceedings to investigate the allegations of custodial torture. On March 29, Chief Minister MK Stalin said during an Assembly session that Balveer Singh has been suspended. He was responding to a call attention motion moved by the opposition parties and added that his government “will not tolerate issues of human rights violations in police stations.” On April 7, the Tamil Nadu government appointed senior IAS officer Amudha to look into the complaints of custodial violence against Balveer Singh.
Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu IPS Officers Association came out in support of Balveer Singh and accused the media of covering the issue in a “selective manner.” A statement issued by the Association said that there are “vested interests are being propagated on social media to influence evidence, witnesses, investigating agencies and the public.
Watch: Tirunelveli Custodial Torture: Register FIR against Balveer Singh IPS - Henri Tiphange Interview