The “chilling disregard” for human rights “displayed” by plainclothes squads constituted to fight narcotic crime ostensibly dominated the zero-hour discussion in Assembly on Thursday.
Moving an adjournment motion to debate “police brutality in the name of crime fighting,” Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) legislator N. Shamshudeen held a “shadowy” mufti police unit operating under the “direct command” of the District Police Chief (DPC) Malappuram, responsible for the “custodial murder” of Tamir Jifri, a 30-year-old, on August 1.
“Elite” squad
Mr Shamsudeen said the “elite” squad operated in Malappuram with far more leeway and less oversight than uniformed units.
He said the squad preyed on hapless youth struggling with drug addiction to cover up its “dismal” failure to interdict large drug consignments or arrest those peddling the contraband in commercial quantities.
Mr. Shamsudeen said the unit took custody of Jiffri for “substance abuse” in the early hours without notifying his family as mandated by the Supreme Court’s arrest guidelines.
Custodial torture
Mr. Shamsudeen also said the officers hustled the youth away in an unmarked private van to a secret police facility in Chelayur. They tortured him for hours to elicit a confession, he alleged.
“Later, the squad dumped a badly beaten Jiffri at the Tanur police station, where the youth collapsed and died. Forensic doctors counted 21 blunt-force injuries and evidence of rectal penetration during the autopsy”, Mr. Shamsudeen said.
He demanded the immediate suspension of the Malappuram SP lest the officer destroy evidence to shield his men.
The IUML legislator decried the police “practice” of treating addicts as criminals. “Substance abuse is a disease and not a crime. Drug addicts are victims. They need rehabilitation, not torture and death”, Mr. Shamsudeen said.
Leader of Opposition’s statement
Leader of the Opposition, V. D. Satheesan, said a powerful clique in the Chief Ministers’ Office (CMO) controlled the police at the ruling CPI(M) leadership’s behest.
He said the cabal gave police officers posted by the party a free mandate to prosecute political rivals, intimidate journalists and protect its interests. Fair administration of justice was the causality, he said.
Mr. Satheesan said the clique had shattered the public’s trust in law enforcement. It has supplanted the police hierarchy with CPI(M) hierarchy. The police have alienated the citizens they served, he said.
Chief Minister’s reaction
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan countered by stating that Congress-ruled Chattisgarh reported 54 “encounter killings”.
In contrast, Kerala has not reported a single extra-judicial murder by the police. Custodial death cases in Kerala were few and far between, he said.
Mr.Vijayan said the government dismissed 27 officers for criminal conduct, while the Oomen Chandy government protected “felons” in uniform.
Mr. Vijayan informed the House that the government had referred the Tanur case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to ensure zero conflict of interest.
Speaker A.N. Shamseer rejected the motion, prompting the opposition to stage a walkout.