On Friday, four Kerala Police officers were suspended for assaulting a serving Indian Army officer and his brother. This is after the Indian Army intervened in the matter and sought a report from the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police (DGP) about the incident.
According to the reports, the incident is said to have happened on August 25 when Vishnu, who served as an Indian Army soldier in Rajasthan, and his brother Vighnesh were thrashed by the Kerala Police in a falsely fabricated case. The soldier was so badly beaten that he had to undergo treatment at the hospital.
#BREAKING | Republic Exclusive: CCTV footage accessed after Army jawan and his brother allegedly tortured in custody in Kerala. A high-level probe ordered. The jawan’s family recalls horror. Tune in #LIVE: https://t.co/pJdhfom7Rz pic.twitter.com/MAaaCmrbRh
— Republic (@republic) October 22, 2022
Vignesh stated that he was summoned to the police station to bail out a defendant in a drug trafficking case, but he refused. Meanwhile, his brother, an army soldier, arrived on the scene. The brothers apparently got into an argument with a police officer on the station grounds, and police subsequently arrested them, claiming they had assaulted the officer. The brothers were reportedly tortured in the police station and were then placed in judicial detention for 12 days.
According to Vighnesh, ASI Prakash Chandran allegedly argued with his army brother and pulled him to the police station. He further stated that the officer in question was drunk and that he and his brother were tormented for hours inside the police station.
“My brother told them he is working in the Indian army, and at that time he (a police officer) slapped him on his face”, Vighnesh said. He also added that one police officer threatened his brother that he would damage his shooting finger and consequently be unable to wield a pistol. He further said that when he and his brother requested water to drink, the officers instructed them to consume their own urine.
Reportedly, the incident got recorded in CCTV footage which showed a police officer without a uniform. The police officer in the video is seen battling with the boys. Reports mention that the Kerala Police also filed a police report against the brothers, which said that Vignesh and Vishnu attacked the officer. However, the CCTV footage showed officers beating the brothers.
The Indian army intervened in the matter and requested a report from the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police (DGP). Notably, the DGP ordered an investigation, and four police officers were suspended for the custodial abuse of an Indian army soldier and his brother on Friday afternoon.
