Chennai, March 3 (BPNS)
The Tamil Nadu State Human Rights Commission (TNSHRC) has awarded a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to a Mathematics research scholar at a Canadian university, Lois Sofia for shouting slogans at Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Tamilisai Sounderrajan when she was Tamil Nadu BJP president in 2018. The amount is to be paid to her father Dr. A.A. Samy.
The incident took place after Lois Sofia came out of a flight from Chennai to Thoothukudi in which Tamilisai Sounderarajan was a co-passenger. On seeing Tamilisai in the flight, Lois shouted slogans against Prime Minister Modi stating “ Down Down Fascist BJP Government.
When she reached the Thoothukudi airport, the BJP workers present threatened her, her father and mother but the police inspector in the airport, Nitya intervened and calmed down the atmosphere. However the Pudukottai police sub-inspector, Thirumalai reached the spot and took Lois Sophia into custody, and whisked her away to the police station. In the station, her father and mother were asked to wait outside and Sophia was questioned for more than 6 hours.
Dr. Samy complained to the TN Human rights commission that his daughter was subject to 6 hours of a custodial interrogation that created a lot of mental disturbance to his daughter. The sub-inspector of Pudukottai police S. Thiruvamalai, according to Dr. Samy arrested Sofia in a ‘ mechanical manner’ and subjected her to six hours of interrogation.
The SHRC member D. Jayachandran in the order said that the arrest of Lois Sofia who is a research scholar and an eminent human rights activist was not at all necessary.
He also observed that Thirumalai and All Woman Police station inspector, A.K. Latha fabricated the FIR by inserting section 505(1)(B) of IPC in ink by hand after preparing the FIR and had removed the original FIR from records.
The SHRC also observed that the developments had affected the liberty and freedom of the victim and the commission also held that the seven police officers involved in the incident had violated the human rights of the victim.
The commission in its order stated that the monetary or pecuniary compensation was perhaps the only suitable remedy for the infringement of the fundamental rights of a citizen by the public servant, the commission ordered a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to Lois Sofia.
The SHRC also directed that department action be initiated against all the police officers and the compensation amount be paid from them. The commission directed that the Tamil Nadu government must recover the compensation amount from the respondents such as Rs 50,000 from Thirumalai and Rs 25000 each from six others including A.K. Latha inspector of police at Pudukottai police station, V. Ponaramu, ADSP, Thoothukudi, R. Prakash, DSP, Thoothukudi, J.Annathai, Sub Inspector of Police, Pudukottai, C. Baskaran, Inspector, SB-CID and S. Nambirajan, Sub- Inspector, Special branch, Thoothukudi.
The SHRC member ordered the state government to pay the compensation to the victim within a month.
