Press Release: Bangalore police brutally thrash a man and deny him treatment for 9 hours
PRESS RELEASE
Subject: Bangalore police brutally thrash a man and deny him treatment for 9 hours.
There is nothing new in Bangalore police harassing people to extort bribes. Whenever they get involved in an interpersonal dispute or a marital dispute, in the name of settlement and mediation, they show their true colors and threaten people. To blackmail, they even turn up at the workplace of the people.
It is a matter of grave concern that police violates the laws and the procedure codes. They literally work like mafia, threatening and blackmailing people, without any regards to even their own superiors in the department.
Recently, Deepak an employee of private firm committed suicide after being threatened and blackmailed by police from Hebbagodi police station. The concerned police officials were suspended. But, even these actions have not deterred the Bangalore police, who continue harassing and threatening people.
Since last 2 months, police from Banaswadi police station were threatening 33 year old K.S.Mahenthran after his wife filed a complaint against him. Mahenthran was willing to cooperate with the police and even got anticipatory bail from Bangalore sessions court. Even then the police has treated him with inhuman torture for no fault of his.
Instead of investigating or filing a case, the Banaswadi police was forcing him into a monetary settlement with his wife with threats of violence. There are family courts to settle marital disputes, but police gets involved here and acts like local goons to settle these disputes.
On 13th May, 2015, at 7:00am plain clothed police from Banaswadi police station stopped Mahenthran on his way to work and brutally thrashed him. He had bruises all over his body and he was bleeding at his knee.
He was brutalized and detained. Phone calls to higher police officials to intervene fell on deaf ears. We approached Bangalore police commissioner on twitter.
Mahenthran was illegally detained until 4:00pm without any medical help as he was bleeding and was in great pain. In fact, the police inspector called his wife and her family and threatened him to do a mutual consent divorce by paying a hefty alimony.
When we approached the Human Rights Commission and took to social media, only then the inspector relented. He made futile attempts to make Mahenthran give a statement that the police did not assault him and the injuries were not caused by police. He also told us to withdraw our complaint to police commissioner.
Bangalore police commissioner M.N.Reddi often claims that there are only a few erring officials and one should not paint bleak picture about entire police force. However, this is far from the truth. There is a clear trend of police threatening people with violence to force them into settlements in inter-personal disputes.
There are numerous complaints filed at State Human Rights Commission about atrocities and illegal detention of innocent people by police. The Human Rights Commission has passed orders to police commissioner to stop police from violating laws and misusing police power.
Couple of incidents in past include:
- Madivala police station threatening elderly parents of a man named Shrikant Nanjaiah to make a settlement with their daughter in-law. They illegally detained and threatened him and his old father for 12 hours overnight at Madivala police station. Numerous complaints to police commissioner only led to investigating officials forcing the elderly couple to withdraw the complaint.
- Sometimes, police work along with goons. Once goons attack and seriously injure the man, then the police force him to settle interpersonal disputes without giving him any medical aid or even filing a police case. One such case involves Sekhar. The goons appointed by his in-laws attacked him and then the local police forced him to make a monetary settlement. He got serious injuries. They did not take his complaint against the goons and did not file FIR. Frustrated, Sekhar approached the State Human Rights Commission and it gave an order against the police.
- Deepak an employee of a private firm committed suicide after police from Hebbagodi police station started threatening him and his parents last month.
How many people need to lose their lives before the police commissioner and the State Home Minister stops this kind of rowdy behavior of police?
Why the State Government is choosing to remain blind to the plight of so many people who are suffering?
Why should men trust such a rogue police force?
It is high time that the police stops these atrocities on innocent men and stops acting as “Settlement Agents” in marital discords.