Atrocities against Kuravans

In Angalan’s case, though human rights groups intervened later, trauma of the dark days still haunts him. “Even today, police come to my house, take my photo, and leave. I live in constant fear.” Just three months ago, he says, officers attempted to re-arrest him, citing a new CCTV footage. Only his lawyer’s immediate intervention prevented another round of incarceration.

In 2016, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes constituted a special committee to investigate rising complaints of police atrocities against the Kuravan community in TN. The committee documented 21 case studies involving men, women, and even children each revealing systemic abuse.

M Sundararajan, retired assistant superintendent of police, Dharmapuri, and a member of the Kuravan community, points an accusing finger to the systemic bias in the force. “When there is a high-profile theft or crime, the heat comes down hard from superiors to inspectors, sub-inspectors, and finally, constables. The mindset gradually shifts to securing a confession, (which is) more important than finding the truth even by inflicting enormous pain on the accused even if it’s woman or a juvenile,” he says.

Sundararajan points to a lingering colonial hangover in the TN police force, particularly in how Kuravans are treated. “From training days, officers are fed with casteist biases. Kuravans are seen as default suspects,” he says. “Confessions are forced through torture. They’re branded as history-sheeters and repeatedly targeted.”

Amid this juncture, PUCL vice president R Murali stressed the need for a tribunal or forum where victims or their families can seek justice. “If a theft occurs, people can approach the crime police station, but where can victims of custodial torture go seek justice? There must be a radical change in the department,” he said.

Need for systemic reforms

Highlighting the need for systemic reforms within the police department, Virudhunagar MP Manickam Tagore stated that measures such as fostering self-discipline among officers and adopting science-based methods for interrogation are essential to prevent such incidents in the future. “This has to be the last inhumane act,” he said.

“We can see the changes over a decade if we start making changes with extensive awareness and sensitisation programmes for cops,” an IPS officer on the condition of anonymity said.

Procedure to handle suspects in police custody

• Suspects should neither be assaulted nor tortured

• Activities of special team policemen should be monitored

• Suspects should not be locked in lodges and rented houses for inquiries

• Suspects should be produced before the court within 24 hours

• Police are mandated not to harass accused while obtaining confession statements

• Investigation should follow only the techniques of scientific approach through interrogation, fingerprints, and call detail records (CDRs)

• CCTV should be fixed at police stations to check custodial torture complaints

• During recovery of stolen materials, police should not mount unnecessary force on the accused

• DSP and special branch constables should keenly monitor the accused in police custody and properly provide food and medicines

• Health condition of the suspect should be checked before arrest

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