A Unais

KANNUR: Even as the state government has been grappling with the blow back from allegations of custodial torture by police, a similar case has been reported from Edakkad under Dharmadom, the assembly constituency of CM Pinarayi Vijayan.

The Congress has demanded a probe into the death of an autorickshaw driver who was allegedly tortured at Edakkad police station.

On February 21, A Unais was summoned by the police to the station after his fatherin-law filed a complaint that Unais attacked his house. Though he was released after questioning, Unais was taken into custody the next day for allegedly torching a motorcycle parked on the premises of his father-in-law’s house and was brutally tortured at the police station. Family of Unais alleged that his father-inlaw targeted him as he refused to stay with the in-laws.

He was admitted to the Thalassery Co-operative Hospital and though in the records it has been pointed out that he suffered injuries following police torture, the police did not consider it as a medico-legal case. Unais was under treatment in the hospital for five days but the police did not record his statement, said his brother Navas.

Even his internal organs were damaged but they haven’t yet received the postmortem report and the report of the chemical analysis of the internal organs, he said.

On May 2, after remaining bed-ridden for two months, Unais died. Later, his family came across a letter written by Unais to the district police chief narrating the brutalities he had to face at the police station. It was written when he was hospitalized and after his friends apparently dissuaded him from posting it, it was kept inside a book. In the letter, Unais had made it clear that it was a police team led by the SI, that beat him up, rendering him invalid.

His family has been demanding action against the police officers who tortured him. The human rights panel has also intervened in the issue and has sought a report from the police. The incident has once again revealed a pattern of torture of suspects in police custody, said DCC president Satheesan Pacheni .

The family of Unais had filed a complaint with the DGP and the chief minister but they said no action has been taken against anyone involved in the incident. The Congress has decided to take out a protest march to Edakkad police station on May 17.

