Rogues in uniform; Youth Congress leader suffers partial hearing loss in custodial torture, massive uproar in Kerala

THRISSUR: The CCTV footage of a Youth Congress leader being roughed up mercilessly by police officials led to a massive uproar in Kerala on Wednesday. The outside world saw the harrowing visuals of the torture when the CCTV footages of the 2023 incident were released the other day.

Notwithstanding the torture, the young leader was also put into remand by filing a fake FIR alleging that he had caused trouble by drinking alcohol, harassing the police and obstructing the execution of duties. Sujith, a temple priest and Youth Congress Chowannur constituency president, suffered serious injuries for no crime of his own. Sujith suffered a hearing impairment in the custodial torture. The incident took place on April 5, 2023.

SI Nuhman of Kunnamkulam took Sujith to the station in a jeep after he questioned the police's act of confronting his friends who were standing on the road. The SI and CPOs Saseendran, Sandeep and Sajeevan inhumanely roughed him up. The medical examination proved that Sujith was sober, and the Chavakkad Magistrate's Court granted him bail.

Although a complaint was filed with the Police Chief and the Human Rights Commission, the police were unwilling to file a case or take action. The case filed against the police officers, as per the court's order, is currently in the trial stage.

At that time, the punishment was limited to preventing two increments and giving a transfer. After the visuals came out, DIG S. Harishankar submitted a report to the DGP on Wednesday. The DIG said that no action was recommended. The accused SI is now in Viyyur, and the two CPOs are currently working in Thrissur East and Mannuthy stations.

Following Sujith's complaint, in 2023, the Crime Records Bureau Asst. Commissioner K.C. Sethu, who was the commissioner, conducted an investigation and submitted a report to the City Police Commissioner. The report also said that there was CCTV footage as evidence of the beating.

Although an application was filed under the Right to Information Act two years ago to obtain the CCTV footage mentioned in the investigation report, the police refused, citing various reasons. When the footage was not provided despite the order, Information Commissioner Sonichan Joseph summoned the police and Sujith in person and heard their arguments. The police handed over the CCTV footage the other day after receiving strict orders from higher-ups.

Sujith said that the brutal torture by the police had damaged his hearing. Sujith, son of Suresh Valiyaparambil in Kanippayyur, is a priest at the Muthiramparambath temple in Pazhanji.

Sujith told Kerala Kaumudi about the incident: I questioned the police action of forcefully taking away youngsters from my area during the night. It got into a heated debate, and the police then dragged me away from the place. At the station, they made me grovel and thrashed me using their strong elbows. A strong slap on my ears left me bleeding. There was severe pain in my ears. When I was released on bail, I was examined at the Government Medical College and other hospitals. I still suffer from hearing impairment.