Custodial torture: Probe against TN IPS officer

'ASP DAMAGED MY TEETH AS COPS HELD ME DOWN'

- THINAKARAN RAJAMANI

At least 10 young men from the Ambasamudram police division in Tamil Nadu have come forward alleging that Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Balveer Singh IPS had tortured them by removing their teeth with cutting pliers and, in the case of two men, crushed their testicles. Tirunelveli KP said Collector Karthikeyan had passed an order for an inquiry to be conducted by the sub-divisional magistrate-cum-sub-collector of Cheranmahadevi, as per the police standing order.

Singh is a 2020 batch IPS officer with a BE degree from IIT-Bombay. He was posted to Ambasamudram as ASP on October 15, 2022.

The 10 men, who faced the alleged custodial torture, were arrested for offenses such as a clash over a love affair, money lending, breaking CCTV cameras and a marital dispute. One police personnel told TNIE he had been present during the alleged torture. "The police officials in the intelligence unit have known about Singh's behaviour from the start. If they had brought this matter to the attention of higher officials, some of these youngsters would have been saved," he rued. TNIE spoke to two of the victims.