Teeth plucking case: Court rejects plea to arrest IPS officer, serves chargesheet

Madurai: A judicial magistrate court in Tirunelveli rejected the demand for the arrest of the suspended assistant superintendent of police Balveer Singh, who is accused of pulling out teeth of suspects in custody. It, instead, let off the officer after accepting an undertaking from him under Section 88 of CrPC.Balveer Singh, who was former Ambasamudram ASP, and 14 other police officials are facing charges of custodial torture in police stations of Ambasamudram sub-division. They are accused of removing the teeth of detainees using plier in Ambasamudram, Kallidaikurichi and Vikramasingapuram police stations. While Singh was placed under suspension, other police personnel were transferred. All the 15 accused appeared before the court on Friday and the hearing lasted till evening. The court was adjourned at least four times during the hearing. During the day, CB-CID filed chargesheets in all the four custodial torture cases and copies of the chargesheets were served on the accused. When advocates Maharajan and Madasamy, representing the victims, demanded the arrest of all the officials, saying they could influence and weaken the case, the magistrate rejected the pleas and accepted bond.Counsel also argued that the prosecution was trying to save the IPS officer and other police officials and that the CB-CID did not seize the plier used for removing the teeth of the victims. Neither the blood-stained clothes of the victims nor the vehicles used for taking the victims to stations had been seized by the CB-CID, they submitted. In its response, CB-CID said they had seized only blood-stained lathi from the stations and other evidence could not be traced. The relevant offence for causing disappearance of evidence has been added to the chargesheet, they told the court.Advocates Maharajan and Madasamy later told reporters that they would move the high court against the magistrate’s order. They said that the family members of the victims were still being threatened by the officials. According to the prosecution, more than 15 detainees were tortured by Balveer Singh and his subordinates since March. In April, Singh was placed under suspension and a probe by a special officer was ordered. After the present home secretary P Amudha submitted her report, cases were registered against Blaveer Singh and the other accused police officials.