OHRC raps cop for Koraput custody torture

BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) on Monday rapped a police inspector of Koraput district for allegedly detaining a minor boy in police custody illegally and brutally torturing him in March.
The IIC of Laxmipur police station, Kailash Chandra Sethi, has been asked to appear before the commission on June 1.
An internal inquiry, conducted by the Koraput district police against Sethi, also corroborated the charges of 'custody torture'.The commission intervened following a complaint lodged against Sethi by human rights campaigner Biswapriya Kanungo on March 18.
"On March 11, the inspector brought the Class X student (13 years) to police station for interrogation in connection with a theft case. He tortured the minor boy in custody for seven days, leading to severe injuries on his feet. The boy was innocent as police did not find any evidence against him," Kanungo said.
The SP (Koraput), Charan Singh Meena, said departmental inquiry has been initiated against the inspector to find out the truth. "Our internal inquiry indicated negligence on part of the inspector. Prima facie, it was found the minor boy was injured in police custody," Meena told TOI.
"Since it was the lookout of the IIC to ensure safety of the theft suspect in his custody, he is responsible for the misconduct," he added.
Sethi refuted the charges. "I did not assault the boy in custody. On March 11, I had gone to his village to bring him to the police station for questioning, relating to a theft in a jewellery store. Seeing me, he climbed on a tree and fell down. He sustained injuries," Sethi said.
"I immediately took him to nearby primary health centre for treatment. Later, I brought him to the police station for questioning. His mother received him the next day. Since she was not present in the village, she could not come on March 11 to pick him up," Sethi said. He said police have strong evidence against the boy in connection with the theft.
On March 23, the OHRC had asked the state government to pay Rs 3 lakh compensation to widow of a theft suspect, who died after being illegally detained and tortured in custody of Balangir police in June 2014.