Two more policemen suspended over alleged assault, genital injury

KOLLAM: Two more policemen have been suspended following a complaint that a police team allegedly abducted and assaulted a young man in a car and crushed his genitals while trying to locate his brother, an accused in a POCSO case. The suspended officers are K.P. Sharath, currently an SI at Bekal police station in Kasaragod and the SI of Sasthamkotta at the time of the incident, and J.K. Faisal, a driver at Sasthamkotta police station. IG Harshita Attalluri ordered their suspension. Sasthamkotta Grade SI R. Sreekumar and CPO Vipinkumar were suspended by the Rural SP two days earlier based on a report by Pathanamthitta SP R. Anand, which found lapses on the part of the police personnel.

The incident occurred on May 29, when Abhijith, 23, son of Suku of Peringanad in Adoor, was allegedly assaulted. Sasthamkotta police had registered a case against his brother Abhishek on a complaint that he sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl he had met through Instagram, resulting in her pregnancy. A police team arrived at the family's house in a Maruti Swift at night to take Abhishek into custody and allegedly forced Abhijith into the vehicle and assaulted him while asking about his brother's whereabouts.

After taking Abhishek into custody, the police allegedly dropped Abhijith near his house later that night. The next day, he sought treatment at Adoor Taluk Hospital and a private hospital after experiencing difficulty in urinating and pain in his genitals. Although the hospital informed the police, they allegedly did not record his statement or register an FIR.

An investigation was launched after the incident triggered controversy, with the action against the four policemen following SP Anand's report on the lapses. Sharath and Faisal were suspended two days after Sreekumar and Vipinkumar.