HC directs IPS officer to make report in ‘custodial torture’ case

Kolkata: In a case where a student activist alleged custodial torture after being picked up from Midnapore College during a protest in connection with the Jadavpur University (JU) incident, the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday directed IPS officer Murlidhar Sharma to prepare a report on the basis of CCTV footages along with all digital materials available of Medinipur All Women Police Station.

The bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh directed Muralidhar Sharma, IGP Training, Swami Vivekananda State Police Academy, to compile the report after checking all the CCTV footage concerned the said police station. The report is to be submitted on March 25.

State respondents would file their affidavit-in-opposition dealing with the accusations made in the writ petition and the enclosures preferably by April 9.

Affidavit-in-reply thereto, if any, be filed by April 17, the bench directed.

Advocate General Kishore Datta said that the entire CCTV footage of the police station was available from the time the petitioner entered the station until she left.

He submitted that she was provided with food and also rested inside the police custody, and even spoke on her cellphone. There is no CCTV footage for the time she was in the room of the Inspector-in-Charge (IC). However, the IC had a body camera which showed that she was treated well as footage revealed she was served tea and snacks.

In the petition, the petitioner alleged gross violation of her fundamental rights, including illegal detention, custodial torture, and physical assault by police officials in collusion with politically affiliated assailants.