Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin informed the Legislative Assembly that he has issued directions to suspend the Assistant Superintendent of Police against whom allegations of custodial tortures including "teeth pulling". The CM was responding to "calling attention motion" moved by the members of the House.
I would like to inform this House that this government would not tolerate any human rights violation at police stations, Stalin said. In line with our policy, I have ordered the suspension of the Assistant Superintendent of Police. I assure to this House that further action against this official will be taken based on the outcome of the inquiry report, the CM assured the House.
Stalin said the inquiry against the ASP was necessitated following complaints from a few suspects that the ASP was damaging their teeth. Sub Collector, Cheranmahadevi has began the inquiry while the ASP has been shifted to the vacancy reserve, Stalin said.
The CM also reeled out the statistics related to the dip in caste clashes, murders, and murders carried out by rowdy elements in the past two years. In 2019, as many as 1,670 murders were reported during the AIADM regime and it was brought down to 1,596 in 2022. We have prevented at least 74 murders from happening every year, he added.
Balveer Singh, the shunted out ASP, who was in charge of Ambasamudram Sub Division, was accused of forcibly removing out the teeth of two youths using iron pliers. He was placed under Vacancy Reserve (VR). "Thiru Balveer Singh, IPS, Assistant Superintendent of Police Ambasamudram Sub Division, Tirunelveli District is brought to Chief Office VR with immediate effect," the orders for transfer issued from the Director General of Police C Sylendra Babu read.
There were allegations that the official would resort to custodial torture of the suspects picked up in petty cases and will mete out third degree torture on them. One of the complainants said the official had crushed the genitals of his brother who was newly married and that the latter was struggling even to eat. Another complainant said the official would put gravel in their mouth and would forcibly extract their tooth with iron pliers and stones.
