NHRC notice to the Director General of Police, Chhattisgarh over reported stripping off two women and their torture in police custody in Bilaspur (22.10.2018)

PRESS RELEASE

New Delhi, 22nd October, 2018

The National Human Rights Commission, NHRC has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report that a 60 year old woman and her 27 year old daughter, arrested on the charges of theft, were stripped naked and severely beaten by a woman police personnel in front of male police officials at City Kotwali Police Station, Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh on the 14th October, 2018. Reportedly, being a patient of hypertension, the mother requested for medical treatment but was not heard. The injuries were inflected even on their vital body parts.

The Commission has issued a notice to the Director General of Police, Chhattisgarh, calling for report in the matter within four weeks along with action taken against the guilty police personnel.

While issuing the notice, the Commission has observed that the contents of the media report, if true, raise serious issue of violation of human rights of the victims. Once a person is taken into custody, it becomes the duty of the police authorities to ensure his/her safety but in this case, the police personnel themselves appear to have behaved in a cruel and inhuman manner and subjected the victims to physical torture, which is an inhuman and barbaric act.

According to the media report, carried on the 17th October, 2018, the matter came to light when both the victims were produced before the Court where they narrated traumatic tale of police brutality. The Court has, reportedly, ordered an enquiry into the matter by a gazetted officer and the report has been sought by the 26th October, 2018. The Court has also mentioned about injuries of the victims and that they were unable to walk.

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