Erode man awarded Rs 1.5 lakh for illegal detention, torture

S Karthi of Ondikaranpatti in Erode taluk was an employee of Pioneer Auto Vision, owned by Seenivasan and Chellappan.

On September 14, 2008, when he went to the shop, the owners told him some materials were stolen from there. At around noon on that day, they went to Erode North police station to lodge a complaint, and a team from there collected fingerprints from the shop. The next day, after being summoned by the police, Karthi went with Seenivasan and Chellappan to the station where his fingerprintwas recorded.

The next two days went without any incidents, but on September 18, when he reached the shop at 8 am, the owners said they were told by a godman from Kerala that Karthi was the culprit. Though he vehemently denied the allegation, he was taken to the station that evening, where Rajendran, then sub inspector, was asked to question him using force. Kathirvel, another SI, and head constable Damodharan, too, joined Rajendran to strip and assault Karthi.

When he was finally let off with his kin two days later, the police personnel took his signature on a paper. Karthi narrated the incident to his kin and a social activist, who took him to Erode GH.

According to the complaint that Karthi filed with the SHRC, Natarajan, then DSP of Erode (now retired) came to hospital and threatened him against proceeding with the complaint against the police personnel.

When the complaint came up for hearing, the three policemen denied the allegations. But Commission member D Jayachandran held that the oral and documentary evidence proved that Karthi was detained illegally and tortured at Erode North police station.

He also found fault with the senior officials for not registering any criminal complaints against the police personnel.