Amnesty India demands probe into activist Arun Ferreira's claim he was beaten in custody

Amnesty India Thursday demanded an impartial probe after activist Arun Ferreira's claimed he was beaten by a Maharashtra police officer in custody, and asserted the alleged ill-treatment shows how India is becoming a "dangerous place" for human rights defenders.

Ferreira, who was arrested in August for alleged Maoist links along with four other prominent activists, told a Pune court on Tuesday he was "hit" by the investigating officer.

He said he was "hit" on his face "eight to ten times" by Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Shivaji Pawar on November 4 during interrogation.

Asmita Basu, programmes director at Amnesty India, said Ferreira's submission is alarming and this raises serious questions about the government's treatment of human rights defenders.

"The authorities must conduct a prompt, thorough and impartial investigation into his allegations."
The Amnesty statement said Patil told them that Ferreira was admitted to a local hospital soon after the incident and his injuries were recorded in the medical report. "The report has been submitted to the court. Arun is recovering and his family met him in jail yesterday."