-Ramaiah:NCSC should act against culprits
-TDP for NHRC probe: Dalit woman custodial torture
-AP became hub of illegal detentions and custodial torture
AMARAVATI: TDP politburo member Varla Ramaiah on Monday urged the Chairperson of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Delhi, to probe and take stringent action against culprits responsible for ‘custodial torture’ of a Dalit woman in Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh.
Ramaiah also urged the Chairperson of National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) to investigate and take deterrent action against the persons responsible for the illegal detention.
Varla Ramaiah wrote separate letters to the Chairpersons of NHRC and NCSC, expressing concern that the State of Andhra Pradesh has become a hub for illegal detentions, house arrests, false cases, mid-night arrests, custodial torture, police harassment, etc. The latest in this series of incidents is the custodial torture of a Dalit woman, Umamaheswari, by the Chittoor town police.
The TDP leader said the police had summoned Umamaheswari to the police station continuously for two days and tortured her in the name of investigating a theft that she never committed. Umamaheswari was working as a domestic maid at the house of Venugopal Reddy, Chittoor Jail Superintendent, Chittoor.
Ramaiah said that an amount to the tune of Rs. 2 Lakhs went missing from the house of Venugopal Reddy. Following this, a complaint was made and the police started torturing Umamaheswari, a Dalit woman, to confess to the theft. The police brutality against the innocent woman was highly condemnable.
The TDP leader said finally, it was revealed that somebody known to Venugopal Reddy had taken the amount. Even after knowing that Umamaheswari was not guilty, she was tortured in the police station. It is to be noted that the police have completely ignored not only the principles of human rights, but also went against the judgments of the Supreme Court with regard to arrests and custodial torture.
Ramaiah said in this backdrop, it is appealed to the NRHRC to inquire and take stringent action against culprits for torturing a Dalit woman in the police custody. True justice would be served to Umamaheswari only when the culprits were brought to book.
