Indian police have tortured, killed hundreds of suspects, human rights group says
Nearly 600 people died in Indian police custody from 2009-2015, many after being tortured, a human rights group said Monday, urging India to implement a string of often-ignored regulations and prosecute officers involved in the mistreatment of prisoners.
The police officers investigating deaths in custody are more concerned about shielding their colleagues than bringing those responsible to justice
Human Rights Watch said in its report that police regularly disregard arrest procedures and torture suspects in custody to death. The police often blame such deaths on suicide or illness.
While torture is illegal in India, and law enforcement agencies in many countries now say it does little to elicit accurate information, many Indian police are open about their use of the “third degree” – a term that can encompass anything from a couple slaps to a savage beating – to extract details or confessions.
“Until you use third degree against them, they will not speak,” said Jairaj Sharma, a retired police officer in India’s Uttar Pradesh state, long a centre of crime and corruption.
Citing government data, the report said that 97 people died in police custody in 2015. In 67 of those cases, authorities either failed to take the suspects before a magistrate within 24 hours of arrest, as required by law, or the suspects died within 24 hours of being arrested.
Human Rights Watch said strict enforcement was needed of existing arrest guidelines, including such things as informing the families of those arrested, providing medical examinations and quickly producing suspects before magistrates.
The New York-based group demanded that police officers who engage in torture and other ill-treatment of prisoners be disciplined and prosecuted.
