Pics: Ramesh Pandith
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Dec 30: Three persons of a family who were allegedly assaulted by SI Sandesh and other cops have been admitted to hospital after they were released from custody late evening on Tuesday December 30. They sustained bruises due to alleged atrocity by the cops while they were in custody.
Kiran Walter and his family including women, along with a nun and a child were allegedly assaulted by the cops led by SI Sandesh, who had interrupted Kiran's brother's wedding on Monday December 28 night in a bid to arrest Kiran in connection to a fraud case. The SI in a counter case alleged that when he went to arrest Kiran, he and his family members assaulted him and other policemen.
Kiran Walter (38), Elias (40), Rupesh (29) and Godwin (20) had been arrested by SI Sandesh. Among them, Kiran was produced in court and sent to judicial custody, while the other three were released and admitted to hospital.
Sources said that Elias, Rupesh and Godwin had to be taken to hospital after they were allegedly assaulted in custody. The three of them, who had swollen body parts and bleeding wounds, said they were brutally tortured by the cops on Tuesday in Beltangady police station.
They also said that they had been warned by Beltangady circle police inspector Lingappa B R, at the time of letting them go, to directly reach their homes. They claimed that they were warned of dire consequences if they failed to obey this instruction, and had also been strictly told not to speak to the media.
A person named Anil Furtado had complained that Kiran had collected Rs 5.10 lac from him with the promise of bagging employment for the latter's wife at Israel, but cheated him by not keeping the promise and not returning the money either. It was in this connection that SI Sandesh had interrupted Kiran's brother's wedding function on Monday night and arrested him along with the others.
After representatives met SP Sharanappa on Tuesday and discussed the issue, cases lodged under various sections were changed and only section 353 was enforced against Kiran. Others were beaten up, put through rollers etc since Monday night to Tuesday afternoon, sources said.
"It is a financial dispute between two families. We are not against police investigation like questioning etc. But torture was wrong. After going home, these people suffered from body pain, headache etc and therefore came here in spite of death threat from police inspector," said Stany Alvares, who has been following the case.
"We are disappointed with the stand taken by MLA Vasanth Bangera, who said SI Sandesh was a gentleman. But Sandesh was suspended twice earlier. He tore his own clothes to escape from the charge that he had manhandled a nun. They themselves put together people to show that he is popular in the region," he claimed.
"All legal formalities are being met today. Mostly, Kiran Walter will be released on bail on Wednesday. A delegation will meet SP again today to put forth all the facts and seek action. Although we feel all of them are innocent, we are not opposed to civilized inquiry," Stany Alvares said.