A day after a person was allegedly assaulted by plainclothesmen in the wake of an accident on Tuesday evening, four police personnel attached to the Edathala police station were booked on assault charges and three of them transferred to the Armed Reserve Camp at Kalamassery. Various organisations took out marches to the station on Wednesday in protest against ‘police brutality.’
Assistant sub-inspector Pushparaj, senior civil police officer Jaleel, police driver Afsal and ASI Induchoodan, under suspension in another case, were charged with IPC Sections 325 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 342 (wrongful confinement) and 34 (criminal acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention). While Pushparaj, Jaleel, and Afzal were transferred to the AR Camp, a departmental inquiry was ordered against sub-inspector G. Arun and Induchoodan.
An accident involving a private vehicle in which three policemen were travelling and a motorcycle driven by Usman, 39, of Edathala, near the Kunjattukara government high school, triggered the chain of incidents on Tuesday. The police personnel were reportedly going to take into custody an accused in a POCSO case when their vehicle brushed against the motorcycle.
An argument ensued after which the police allegedly kicked and beat up the man. When local people allegedly took him to the Edathala police station, the trio along with another police personnel who can be identified by sight continued the assault leaving the victim with serious injuries to his face.
Police personnel alleged that the motorcycle was not driven by Usman and that he needlessly intervened and assaulted the police driver. However, eyewitnesses reiterated that the motorcycle was indeed driven by Usman.
It is learned that the victim and the local people realised that the trio were police personnel since they were in plainclothes. They came to know about it only when they reached the police station to lodge a complaint. The police have received two complaints, one by Usman and the other by the police personnel. A separate case was registered against the victim on charges of assault and obstructing the duty of a government servant.
SHRC orders probe
Meanwhile, the State Human Rights Commission has registered a case and ordered an investigation into the incident. Commission judicial member P. Mohanadas ordered that the case should be investigated by an officer not below the rank of a Dy.SP. The report should be submitted to the Aluva Rural SP within three weeks. The commission would consider the case at its sitting in Kochi on June 29.