Chennai, May 19 (BPNS)
The Thoothukudi police have commenced an investigation against four women constables in a case of assaulting a women suspect .The four women cops are kept under suspension and Thoothukudi district superintendent of Police, Balaji Saravanan told BPNS that investigation against the women constables have commenced.
Three women constables and a woman Sub Inspector of Muthiahpuram police station were placed under suspension on Wednesdayafter a woman, Sumathi (40), complained that she was taken into custody and brutally assaulted by the women cops. The woman is admitted to Thoothukudi medical college after doctors found that she had internal injuries. The women constables who are placed under suspension are , Mercina, Kalpana and Uma Maheswari while the woman Sub Inspector is Muthumalai. There were earlier reports that the station has turned notorious for assaulting suspects who are under custody.
According to police, a person, Prabakaran lodged a complaint on May 7th that his neighbour 10 sovereigns of gold was missing from from his house on May 4th and that he suspected Sumathi on this. Muthaipauram police took her into custody. The woman alleged that the cops assaulted her brutally and that she lost her conscisouness in the torture.
Tamil Nadu police is in the backfoot following two back to back lock up deaths in the month of April. Vignesh a Dalit died in police custody at the Secretariat Colony police station on April 19th after he was taken into custody on April 18 night along with a friend Suresh. Autopsy report revealed that Vignesh had 13 injury marks including a broken bone.
In another incident Police at Tiruvannamalai arrested Thangamani (42) on charges of illicit brewing of liquor on April 25th and he died in Sub Jail on April 27th due to seizures. The lockup deaths had caused major embarrassment to the Stalin government and the suspension of the four women cops immediately after the women suspect had complained that she was tortured in police custody is to prevent further embarrassment to the force.