Pondy senior cop faces action for illegal detention of tahsildar

Even as activists in Tamil Nadu have been demanding the proper implementation of State Police Complaints Authority in Tamil Nadu as per the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court, the similar body in neighbouring Puducherry recommended stringent departmental and penal action against a Senior Superintendent of Police and other police officers for illegal detention and manhandling of tahsildar during lockdown. 

The order by the Puducherry Police Complaints Authority (PPCA) came in connection with an incident that happened in April in which the personnel police allegedly manhandled and illegally detained GS Karthikeyan, a tahsildarcum-executive magistrate. 

The complainant sought action against Puducherry SSP Rahul Alwal, an IPS officer; D Nagar police station SHO Iniyan; and head constable Muralidharan, office of SP (north). 

In his order, PPCA chairman Justice G Rajasuriya slammed the police for illegal detention of the executive magistrate and searching his house without warrant, and also for not getting nod from higher judiciary to arrest the executive magistrate. The Complaints Authority has recommended departmental and penalty proceeding against the SSP and SHOs of Netapakkam and D Nagar police stations. 

Justice Rajasuriya made it clear that it was not the duty of the authority to see if the complainant had committed any crime, but to see if the police had done any misconduct in handling the case. 

The police had booked Karthikeyan and his team based on confession of one Anandababu that during a raid at a liquor shop that was functioning despite lock down orders, the officials allowed him to take away some of the bottles to sell at a higher price. 

The complainant added that after Karthikeyan was already detained in custody, the police created a document showing that he was being summoned to appear before them the next day (20 April) at the Netapakkam police station. The Complaints Authority found that the notice was fabricated, as CCTV footage and witness statement showed that he was illegally picked up on April 19 itself and illegal search was conducted in his house by the police. 

The chairman concluded that even an ordinary citizen of Puducherry should not be illegally detained or his house should not be illegally searched.