HC directs Hospital Dean to set up doctors team to ascertain

The Madras High Court has asked the Dean of the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital here to set up a special team of doctors to ascertain the physical condition of a journalist, who alleged that he was detained and subjected to torture by three police personnel.
Justice V Ramasubramanian directed the doctors to note down the health condition of J Umapathi, who works for a Tamil weekly 'Puratchi Periyar Muzhakkam', treatment already given as well as required to be given to him.
The judge also asked the dean to file a report in court regarding the medical condition of the journalist at the time of his admission and date of the report to be filed in court. The matter will be taken up for a hearing on December 3, the judge said and directed that the hospital should continue the treatment being given to him.

The judge passed the order on a writ petition filed by Umapathi who alleged that three police personnel - sub-inspectors Ilayaraja and Kalaiselvi, and head constable Vadivelu - took him in a police vehicle from Mylapore where he had gone to cover a civic protest by residents.
After noticing him taking photographs and taking quotes from protesters, the police personnel questioned him and bundled him into a police van, adding that he was taken to Abiramapuram police station and thrashed.
Umapathi alleged they also took his thumb impression on some blank sheets.
He was let off only after his relatives reached the station on hearing his detention. He was first admitted to Government Royapettah hospital and then referred to the Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital, Umapathi said.

He prayed the court to order suspension of the three police personnel as an interim relief, and order CB-CID probe into the "assault and illegal detention.