Two police officers at the Ambai police station in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli district have been transferred on Sunday, April 2, amidst an investigation regarding custodial violence against detainees at the police station. Boghan from the Vikramsinghapuram division and Rajkumar from the Kallidaikurchi division have been transferred to the armed police forces after orders from Tirunelveli’s Superintendent of Police (SP) P Saravanan.
This action comes days after Ambasamudram’s Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Balveer Singh IPS was suspended after complaints of custodial torture surfaced against him. The issue came to light on March 26 when three men recorded a video saying that they were tortured by the police, including the ASP at the Ambai station. The men in the video said that Balveer Singh knocked their teeth out using large stones and cutting pliers and that they were beaten up by the police officers. One of the men in the video, Chellappa, said that his brother was kicked in the chest by the police officers and was also sexually assaulted.
On March 28, the Tamil Nadu State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) took suo-motu cognisance of the custodial violence based on newspaper reports and called for an investigation. The SHRC also directed the Inspector General of police or the director of the investigation division to submit a detailed report on the investigation after six weeks. The human rights commission also summoned Balveer Singh for questioning on March 31. Meanwhile, the Cheranmahadevi Sub Collector office issued a notice on March 30 asking the victims of custodial violence to share their testimonies in writing at their office.
Watch: Tirunelveli custodial torture: Balveer Singh IPS - ஐ காப்பாற்ற நாடகமா? | Ambasamudram | MK Stalin