Southern States
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Kerala
Oppn. flays police policy
By Our Special Correspondent
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, NOV. 30. The Assembly on Friday took up discussion on a resolution, moved by Mr. K.V. Kunhiraman (CPI-M), on police excesses in the State.
The resolution seeks to express the concern of the House on the police policy of the Government and calls for action against police officials responsible for lock-up deaths and other excesses. It said that the custodial deaths and police excess and failure of the Government to take action against those responsible were disturbing peaceful living in the State.
Moving the resolution, Mr. Kunhiraman said that the UDF Government had let loose on the people the police as it had done in the past too. This had hit peaceful living in the State. Though the Government promised action against the officials guilty of excesses, the promise was not kept in most cases. At the same time, the Government was preventing intervention by politicians in matters related to arrest and detention of people.
Mr. M.V. Jayarajan (CPI-M) moved an amendment seeking to add a clause deploring the excesses. It noted that the police were disregarding the Supreme Court directives on arrests.
Speaking on the resolution, Mr. Pirappancode Murali, noted that six lock-up deaths had occurred in six months. This reminded one of the situation between 1948 to 1950 when communists were hunted by the police.
Mr. Murali recalled two incidents in Thiruvananthapuram district involving the deaths of people taken into custody after their release. The police had claimed that Sugathakumar, who had been tortured in police station at Kattakkada, had died some days after his release of a heart attack. However, the post mortem report showed internal and external injuries, including loss of a tooth. Sugathakumar's widow and three children had no means of livelihood after their bread-winner's death following police torture.
At Pravachambalam, Joy Yohamman, had died four days after he was released from custody. He had been tortured at both the Nemom and Nadapuram police stations.
He recalled that the Thiruvananthapuram police had even mistreated the Mayor of the city, Prof. C. Chandra, and MLAs who intervened. The Government should take these incidents seriously and take strong action, he demanded.
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