4juveniles in hosp, allege torture by cops

Chennai: In yet another charge of harassment made against law enforcers, four juveniles arrested on theft charges on Tuesday have alleged that they were tortured in custody by the Kodungaiyur police. The four minors complained to Juvenile Justice Board chairperson Lakshmi Ramesh when they were produced before her on Wednesday. After recording their statements, the JJB chairperson directed police to admit them to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital.

The law enforcers obliged and the juveniles are now in ward 201. Their bail petition is set to come up for hearing on Thursday before the JJB chairperson who is likely to pull up the city police for the treatment they were subjected to in custody Inquiries revealed that one of the juveniles, when produced before the JJB chairperson on Wednesday, revealed to her all that they were forced to endure at the police station and showed her the injuries he had suffered.

On Monday, two days before the juveniles were produced before the JJB chairperson, Kodungaiyur inspector Selvakumar, who had arrested the four minors, was transferred to the vacancy reserve. Selvakumar from Pulianthope police district is part of eight inspectors — the others are from Washermenpet police district — shifted out. The transfers, the police commissioner said, follow a spurt in crime across the city, especially in north Chennai.

The attacks on juveniles in conflict with the law also seem to be on the rise, mainly due to the lack of sensitization among law enforcers, say experts. Senior counsel V Kannadasan said police often treated juveniles like they were hardened criminals. “A case in which juvenile suspects were forced to perform sex acts at the West Mambalam police station in December 2014 is still pending trial,” he said.

Juveniles should be treated as children or minor boys, said JJB lawyer Parvathi Srinivasan.