CBI slaps custodial rape charge on seven Tamil Nadu cops

 

Making a submission before a division bench comprising Justices Sathish K. Agnihotri and K.K. Sasidharan, special public prosecutor N. Chandrasekaran said that, based on the examination of victim Chitra (name changed), the CBI registered FIR against seven “identifiable” police personnel of the station under various criminal laws, including section 376 (2) (a) (b) of IPC (custodial rape).  

 

After recording the CBI prosecutor's submission, the bench posted the case to October 28. The court had earlier (Sept. 27) turned down the state government plea to stay the CBI probe into the alleged custodial rape.   

 

The CBI had taken up the investigation of this case following the directive from Justice V. Ramasubramanian on September 24 while hearing a petition from the victim's daughter P. Rajakumari pleading for justice. 

 

She alleged that seven police personnel of Udumalpet station had brutally beaten up her mother and inserted a lathi into her private parts while keeping her in illegal custody from August 10 to 14 so as to force her to confess killing her landlady, who had been found dead with head smashed on August 9. 

 

Her mother was stripped to her undergarments and hung by her legs. Her limbs got swollen by the brutal beating using lathis, Rajakumari said in her petition. The humane judge had summoned the victim to the court and noted with concern that she was not even able to walk. 

 

Brushing aside the contention of the government and police top brass that the woman had sustained her injuries after falling down in an inebriated state, he directed the CBI to probe the complaint.