annual report print final.qxd - Asian Centre for Human Rights

INDIA HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2005 Tamil Nadu
nab Sandalwood smuggler, Veerappan.
The Special Task Forces (STF) that
was constituted by the state governments
of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to nab
Veerappan reportedly subjected the
villagers residing in the villages close to
the hilly forests that were within
Veerappan’s operation domain to inhuman
brutalities. Many of them “died” in
custody, others were released after a few
days or months. Many were incarcerated
under the Terrorist and Disruptive
Activities (Prevention) Act. Even women
and children were not spared from torture.
There were reports of multiple rapes in
front of their husbands, brother-in-laws
and electric shocks in the private parts. 8
The report of the inquiry commission
of A.J. Sadashiva, a former judge of the
Karnataka high court constituted by the
National Human Rights Commission in
June 1999 to look into the complaints of
torture and harassment by STF personnel,
has yet not been made public. The report
was reportedly submitted to the NHRC.
With the death of Veerappan, albeit under
questionable circumstances, the report is
unlikely to see the light of the day.
On the night of 21 January 2004, about
150 police personnel from the Armed
Reserve Police reportedly conducted
combing operation in the areas of
Perumanallur, Anupparpalayam, Mangalam
and some pockets of Tirupur North, South
and Rural police limits in Tirupur township
in Coimbatore district. The police allegedly
arbitrarily took 428 persons into custody,
detained them in the police station for the
night and released them on the next day
only after taking their finger prints without
assigning any reason. The Superintendent
of Police, Coimbatore Rural District, R.
Dhinakaran, defended the combing
operations saying that a number of people
who had migrated from the southern
districts were involved in offences either in
their native place or in Tirupur. 9
A 22-year-old labourer, M. Kannan of
Manakkal Street in Red Hills in Chennai
had to be admitted to the Stanley Medical
College Hospital, Chennai after he was
tortured by the Police of the Red Hills
Police Station on 8 June 2004. He was
picked up for questioning on his suspected
involvement in the kidnapping of his
relative’s daughter. But actually the girl
was not kidnapped at all. Even when the
missing girl turned up and told the police
that Kannan had nothing to do with it, the
policemen kicked and beaten him on his
legs, arms, chest and back in the presence
of his wife, Tara, who went to the police
station pleading that her husband be let
off. The policemen also verbally abused
the couple. 10
On 30 June 2004, three policemenconstables
Narayanasamy and Pasumpon,
and head-constable Muthu Pillai of
Soorangudi police station of Tuticorin
district allegedly picked up one R.
Ganesan for interrogation in connection
with a case of cattle theft filed against him
by one Ayyasamy in Maelmaanthai under
Soorangudi police station limits. He was
taken to the Soorangudi police station and
brutally tortured during interrogation.
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