Tamil Nadu: FIR registered against IPS officer accused of custodial torture

The Tamil Nadu Police on Monday registered a first information report against suspended Assistant Superintendent of Police Balveer Singh on charges of custodial torture, The Hindu reported.

Nineteen persons, including two minors, have so far accused Singh of torturing them during custody in Ambasamudram, Vikramasingapuram, Kallidaikurichi and Pappakudi police stations, according to The New Indian Express.

Singh has been accused of breaking their teeth and crushing the testicles of at least two persons after they were called for interrogation on the charge of attempt to murder at the Ambasamudram police division in the Tirunelveli district.

One of the persons, identified as Surya, had retracted his statement on March 29. He had initially alleged that Singh pulled out his teeth for damaging three CCTV cameras while he was drunk but later claimed that he fell down and broke his tooth. His family alleges that he has been missing.

The allegations had surfaced in March after a lawyer shared the ordeal of the victims on social media, along with their statements, according to The Indian Express.

Following this, Singh, a 2020-batch IPS officer from Tonk in Rajasthan, was initially shifted to vacancy reserve on March 27. Two days later, Chief Minister MK Stalin told the state Assembly that he has ordered Singh to be immediately suspended.

On Monday, Tirunelveli district Superintendent of Police...

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