SHRC recommends disciplinary action against three policemen from Coimbatore for torturing man

Coimbatore: The State Human Rights Commission has pulled up three policemen from Coimbatore for illegally detaining a man and foisting a theft case on him. The policemen had physically tortured him to accept that he was guilty of theft.
In his order issued on Wednesday, SHRC member V Kannadasan recommended disciplinary proceedings against the three policemen– S Vijayakumar and R Sujay, both attached to the Podanur police station and Kamrudeen, head constable from Selvapuram police station.
Kannadasan also directed the state govt to pay a compensation of 75,000 to the victim. The sum shall be recovered from the three policemen, the order said.
According to the petition submitted before SHRC, the victim, A Ruban, a resident of Srinivasa Nagar in Podanur who runs a travels business, had spotted a few men standing near a house around 11.30pm at Sundarapuram on October 19, 2018.
As the men started fleeing the spot after Ruban went closer, he screamed ‘thieves' and raised an alarm.
Within minutes, police came there and took Ruban to Podanur police station to inquire about the incident. Ruban alleged in the petition that once they reached the station, the police started assaulting, accusing him of attempting to steal from the house.
He was detained in the station and was not even provided food, Ruban's counsel said.
"On October 20, a policeman placed a cycle chain in between his fingers and pressed it hard demanding him to confess to the crime,'' said the petition. His family was also not informed. On October 21, when Ruban's wife finally got to know about his detention and came to the Podanur police station, she was not allowed to see her husband. Policemen took Ruban to Podanur railway station car park and kept him there the whole day to conceal him from the family.
The next day he was forced to sign on papers which he was not allowed to read, the petition narrated.
"That day, Ruban was taken to a place on Perur– Vedapatti road where his hands and legs were tied and beaten up. On Oct 23, since he was unable to walk due to injuries caused by the assault, Ruban was taken to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital,'' the complaint said.
After treatment, he was sent to judicial remand. Only then did Ruban came to know that two cases of theft and burglary were booked on him.
Since the wounds on Ruban's legs worsened, a surgery was performed at CMCH on Nov 5, and he was released on bail on Nov 16.
The policemen denied all the charges levelled against them. But SHRC ruled that considering the materials on record and arguments of both the sides it was categorically proved that the policemen "tortured the complainant and assaulted him brutally and caused injuries to him."
Three other policemen who were also accused by Ruban were not found guilty by SHRC as there was no evidence to prove so. Charges on another policeman was abated as he had died.