contents - Jananeethi

ANNUAL REPORT - 2003-2004ANNEXURE 3TORTURE and CUSTODIAL VIOLENCE(1)Place of occurrence : Thrithala, Palakkad District, Kerala State, India.Date and time of occurrence : 10.00 am on February 2004.Victim : Kolavan (60)Meenkarayil houseKannanur P.O, ThrithalaPalakkad Dist., Kerala, India.The perpetrator : The sub-inspector of police, Thrithala police station.Facts of the case:Kolavan, 60 years, belongs to the most vulnerablecommunity of scheduled castes. He livesin Thrithala village, Ottappalam Thaluka, inPalakkad district, Kerala State. He supportshis family by raring cattle.Kolavan and his brother Kotha were not in goodterms. They had a fight on January 20, 2004and Kotha had wounded Kolavan by hittinghim with a stone. Consequently Kolavan wasadmitted in government hospital at Pattambifor a short while. He made a written complaintagainst his brother Kotha to the Thrithala policestation for physical assault and bodily injury.Accordingly the Sub Inspector of policeof Thrithala police station summoned bothKolavan and his brother Kotha, the accused,to the police station asking them to report onFebruary 8, 2004. Kolavan went alone to thepolice station while his errant brother was escortedby his employer, an engineer by profession,who is well known and influential in thepolice department.After hearing both parties in separate, the SubInspector of police asked Kolavan to withdrawhis complaint and compromise to his brotherunconditionally. It was obvious that the policeofficer was bribed and was influenced. HenceKolavan declined the demand of the policeofficer and refused to settle the matter on thespot. This made the police officer furious andacrimonious. He (the police officer) beat athis navel and pulled him up holding on it. Dueto shock, pain, shame and fear of death, theold man passed urine on the spot and was inutter dismay. The dreadful Sub Inspector ofpolice threatened him of dire consequences ifhe (Kolavan) had not yielded to compromise.However, Kolavan was silent and was not respondingto the questions of the police officer.49