The Human Rights Forum (HRF) has demanded that the police personnel involved in the alleged custodial torture of V. Samson of Morusumilli village in Mylavaram mandal in NTR district, be suspended immediately and that they be booked under the relevant Sections of the BNS and the SC/ST (PoA) Act.
Mr. Samson, a farmhand working for Challa Subba Rao, was reportedly taken to the police station on February 8 evening for questioning in a case related to the murder of one Kadiyam Srinivasa Rao. Following a complaint from the son of the deceased, Kadiyam Pulla Rao, who suspected Mr. Subba Rao and Mr. Samson behind his father’s death, FIRs were filed against the duo.
During interrogation, Mr. Samson, in his early 40s, was allegedly roughed up at the Mylavaram Circle Inspector Office, where there are no CCTVs, the activists alleged.. Overwhelmed and intimidated, Mr. Samson reportedly told the police that he killed Srinivasa Rao.
When the police took him to the scene of offence, a cornfield, Mr. Samson reportedly feigned ignorance. Angered by his dithering and contradictory statements, the police allegedly stripped him, tied him up to a tree and beat him, the activists wrote in a note released to the media after ascertaining the details in the case.
“There are blatant violations of rules in the case. While the FIR was filed on February 9, Mr. Samson, along with Mr. Subba Rao, was taken to the station on February 8. The police did not even care to produce them before the magistrate within 24 hours as is the rule,” said Y. Rajesh, HRF State general secretary.
When the police failed to elicit any information from him, they started investigating the case further and it then emerged that the murder was committed by the complainant and son of the deceased, Mr. Pulla Rao.
The police let both Mr. Samson and Mr. Subba Rao out on next Friday, on February 14, but what about the pain and insult Mr. Samson was subjected to during the illegal detainment, asked Mr. Rajesh.
The activists said while the police, when asked, did not deny the alleged torture, but justified it by saying that they had, in fact, saved Mr. Samson by identifying the actual alleged perpetrator even after Mr. Samson’s alleged confession.
They demanded that necessary action be taken against the police personnel involved and that adequate compensation be paid to Mr. Samson. When asked about it, Mylavaram CI, D. Chandrasekhar, who said he would get back, did not attend calls later.
Published – February 19, 2025 08:35 am IST
