India News > Police charged with torturing riot accused
Bhopal, Feb 26 (IANS) :
The Madhya Pradesh government has ordered an inquiry against four police personnel accused of arresting and "torturing" Hindu rightwing activists allegedly involved in a riot against Muslims.
"The inquiry was ordered after activists of the BJYM (Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha) and Bajrang Dal complained of police atrocities following the riots," additional director general of police S.K. Raut told IANS here.
The BJYM is a student body linked to the state's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Clashes between Hindu activists and Muslims broke out Saturday in Ujjain, a Hindu holy town in western Madhya Pradesh, over the demolition of Muslim shops.
In order to widen a road, civic authorities wanted to demolish some shops that shared a common wall with a mosque.
The Muslim shop owners along with members of their community asked authorities not to demolish the shops, arguing that the mosque wall would also be damaged.
However, activists of the BJYM and Bajrang Dal reached the spot and said since shops of Hindus had been demolished, the same should be done to Muslim shops as well.
Violence broke out between Hindus and Muslims and around 40 people were injured, including an inspector general of police and 15 police officials.
Soon after the incident, the police arrested around 60 people, many belonging to the BJYM and Bajrang Dal.
"The BJYM and Bajrang Dal activists alleged they were beaten up, tortured and humiliated at a police station by four police personnel," said Raut.
The four are a probationary officer of the Indian Police Service (IPS), a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), an inspector and a constable.
Once the situation normalised in Ujjain, all the four police personnel were summoned to this capital of Madhya Pradesh and an investigation ordered against them on the basis of the complaint made by the BJYM and Bajrang Dal.
A deputy inspector general of police is investigating the complaint.
Said Raut about the probe against the four officials: "They have been accused of torturing and humiliating people in their custody, which cannot be tolerated."
He, however, added: "No doubt, when violence is going on, they can take any action in the field to control the situation."
Justifying the summoning of policemen to the capital, he said: "As far as their being in Bhopal is concerned, they are undergoing training in handling bombs.
"Moreover, it is good that they are in Bhopal, as now they will not be able to influence the investigation."
Chief Minister Uma Bharati told reporters that there was nothing unusual in the four police personnel being called to Bhopal. "It is a part of the routine."
But many police officers have criticised the government action.
"Police atrocities are not uncommon. But how many times has the government initiated an inquiry and that also so promptly?" asked a former police official, who recently retired from the post of additional director general of police.
"This will send a wrong signal among the police personnel," he added.
Only last month, Hindu radical activists had attacked churches and Christians in the Jhabua district of western Madhya Pradesh.
Since then, leaders of the community have time and again said the police behaved partially towards those who instigated the violence.
"Innocent Christians are languishing in jails but the accused are free," complained a leader of the community two days back at a press conference here.
Christians have demanded an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the release of innocent people. However, nothing has been done so far.
A Congress student group has demanded that the Bajrang Dal be banned.
"The organisation is responsible for communal tension in Ujjain and hence it should be banned," said student leader Jayanti Natrajan.
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