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The Deputy Commissioner of Police (Whitefield) D Devaraj has sought a report from the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) in the Varthur jurisdiction after a Muslim man identified as Salman alleged his “hand was amputated” after the inuried sustained during his “torture in police custody” got severely infected. DCP Devaraj was quoted by Indian Express saying that he was informed that Salman “was detained in a theft case. Information on whether Salman was assaulted and whether he was detained for three days will be known as the ACP is now conducting an inquiry into the incident.”
However, the results of the inquiry will not restore the right arm of 22-year-old Salman, who according to the news report, was detained in connection with a car battery theft case for three days in the Varthur police station after he was “picked up by the police” on October 27. Recently, Salman has had to undergo a surgery at a private hospital in Bengaluru for amputation of his right arm as it was “infected after he was allegedly beaten severely in police custody,” he was quoted by IE.
Before the Covid wave hit, Salman was working at a chicken shop but was now unemployed. Salman alleged he was “picked up by the policemen in plain clothes, who came in a private vehicle with a Kerala state registration number” adding that he was taken to the Varthur police station and “was assaulted mercilessly by three men. I confessed to stealing three car batteries. They took me to the people to whom I had sold the batteries. I was again brought to the police station and asked to confess to other thefts which I had not committed.”
Salman added, “I was tied upside down and beaten badly. Three cops assaulted me for three days. They targeted one body part at a time. They beat my right hand and also kicked in their legs one after the other. My pleadings went unheard,” Salman told IE. He was released from police custody on October 31, but was in pain and recalled, “I came back home and took painkillers assuming it was pain. But as days passed, my hand started to lose strength and the injury worsened. My family took me to a hospital in Sarjapura where doctors said the arm had to be amputated.”
Salman’s cousin Waseem added that the family consulted the Hosmat Hospital and were told a surgery was crucial to save his life, “We had no choice but to go ahead with the operation on November 8.” His mother Shabina said the family were not aware he had been taken away by the police, “We rushed to the Varthur police station and they said they had not detained anyone by the name of Salman.”
THe allegations are eerily similar to other cases where victims, or their families have reported police excesses leading to devastating consequences. Just a month ago, in
Uttar Pradesh a young man died on return from police questioning. The family alleged custodial torture. According to the family, Jitender Kumar was allegedly tortured in custody, and once released he died last during treatment. However, Kanpur DCP BBGTS Murthy, told the media that the victim’s family has accused “some” people. He adds that he was told there were cops from some other area which is being investigated. He asserts that the victim’s family has “not blamed” the local police.
SabrangIndia had reported on the shocking statistics that came to light during the Budget Session of Parliament this year, from 2019 to 2020, a total of 112 deaths in police custody have been registered according to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). From 2020 to 2021, a whopping 1,645 cases of judicial custodial deaths were reported. As per the latest data revealed during the budget session, (from 2020 to February 28, 2021), a staggering 11,955 human rights violation cases have already been registered against the Police. But what’s more astonishing is that not one single police officer has been convicted of a crime since 2005 to 2018 according to the National Campaign Against Torture 2019 report. Of the 125 deaths in police custody documented by the NCAT in 2019, 60 percent were from poor and marginalised communities, including 13 Dalit/tribal victims and 15 Muslims.
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