In Jharkhand’s Bokaro, a Muslim couple have been physically tortured the whole night in police custody.
A 47-year-old teacher, Amanat Hussain alleged that nails of his feet were plucked and his soles were ruptured after he along with his wife Hazra Begum was brutally beaten up at Balidih police station in Bokaro over a suspicion of theft.
Speaking to Maktoob about the torture, Hussain said that on the evening of Thursday, he, his wife and elder brother went to the police station following he received a summons. He was locked up and interrogated.
“After the interrogation, a policeman came and said he will not speak in this way. Then, he tied my legs. I was brutally beaten up after being tied up. I was beaten black and blue. They hit me so severely that I can’t stand on my feet. They even went to pluck nails off my feet,” said Hussain adding “my wife, who was with me, was also beaten up by both lady and gents policemen catching her by her hair.”
The torture went on whole night, the duo told Maktoob.
The suspicion was related to a theft happened in his neighbor’s house. Hussain was asked by his neighbor to sleep at his house at night as he went to Delhi for treatment of his daughter. Hussain said that he used to sleep at his house at night but on 15 December, he could not sleep at his house as he fell sick that night. The very day, a theft was carried out.
Hussain said he was accused of theft even though the police did not find any iota of evidence against him.
Locals say Hussain is a man of repute in his village Makhdoompur and the entire village can testify to his good character. He was released on Friday after the mukhiya of his village approached the police.
Hussain accused Nutan Modi, SHO of Balidih police station, of torturing him and his wife and demanded to remove her and all those policemen who are involved in this torture.
“I want to state this with full confidence that Balidih police mentally and physically tortured me and my wife in an inhuman way. The torture was inhuman and illegal which has deeply hurt my dignity. I demand to expel all erring policemen and SHO of Balidih police station and request to mete them out the strictest punishment. If action is not taken against the SHO and all those policemen who tortured me, I along with my family will commit suicide in front of office of Superintendent of Police. Police officers will be responsible for my death,” said Hussain in his complaint filed with the Superintendent of Police on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Nutan Modi, SHO of Balidih police station, said that an inquiry has been set up under the supervision of Bokaro DSP to look into the allegations of the torture.
This is not the first time when Balidih police station has come into limelight over torture allegations. In March of 2020, three minor boys were allegedly tortured. Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren himself had taken cognizance of it through his Twitter handle ordering Bokaro police to investigate the matter and punish the erring policemen if found guilty.
In March last year, a youth Baupi Rai was allegedly tortured at Balidih police station over family dispute. Rai was not able to walk after the torture. He had also filed a complaint with the Superintendent of Police.
