Anti-liquor protesters were assaulted, says report

Police and jail authorities had assaulted persons arrested in connection with an anti-liquor protest here, a District Judge who investigated allegations of police excesses submitted to the Madras High Court.
Additional Judge (TADA) of the City Civil Court S Senthil Kumaresan was directed on August 10 by a division bench of the High Court comprising Justice S Tamilvanan and Justice B Rajendran to probe into the allegations and submit a report.
The report said a Jailor, an Assistant Jailor, a Deputy Jailor and a warden assaulted the protesters with their hands on jail premises.
"Detenus namely S Marimuthu, S Dinesh, P Maruthu, A Thirumalai, V Sarathi, K Asath and M Selvakmar have been beaten at the place of agitation with hands and lathi, and also at G-7 Chepet police station with plastic pipes by unidentified and unnamed policepersons. They have sustained simple injuries with pain all over body," the Kumaresan submitted in his report.

During an anti-liquor protest on July 3 near Pachaiyappa's College here, an outlet of state owned Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation was ransacked and protesters indulged in violence.
Fifteen persons, including five women, were arrested in this connection. While students among them were released after cases against them were dropped, others continued to remain in jail.

On a Habeas Corpus Petition filed by Sarathy's mother, the Division Bench directed a judicial probe into the allegations of excesses by police and jail authorities.
"Jail officials assaulted the detenus in front of a quarantine block inside the central jail-II Puzhal premises and the officers who assaulted them were also identified," the report said.

"Jailor B Ilavarasan, Assistant Jailor Israel, Deputy Jailor R Radhakrishnan and II-Grade warden 102 Muthumani assaulted them with their hands, and not by any weapon," it said.
The hearing on the matter would come up before the court next week.