IFS officer couple booked for torturing poaching-accused

Kerala Police today registered a case against two Indian Forest Service officers here and 10 other identifiable persons for alleged infliction of third degree torture on a man accused in elephant poaching case.
Cases have been registered against T Uma, Territorial Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) and her husband R Kamalahar, also in the forest department, under Sections 323, 324 and 326 of the IPC for allegedly torturing an accused during questioning while in custody, causing severe damage to his backbone, police said.
The accused has produced medical reports in this regard and cases have been registered against 10 other persons in this connection, they said adding, however, that the two have not been questioned so far.

Meanwhile, the DFO denied inflicting any third degree torture on the accused.
"I do not know if a case has been registered against me and my husband," she told a television channel.
"Such a thing has not happened. If such allegations are there, we can prove our side," she added.

Meanwhile, taking suo motu cognisance, Kerala Human Rights Commission Chairman Justice J B Koshy today directed the DGP to probe the incident.
A senior official should be appointed to probe the alleged torture and report should be filed with the commission, he said.
Local media had reported that forest officials had allegedly tortured the accused, severely damaging his backbone.

Over 40 elephants have been poached in Kerala so far, the commission said, wondering where the forest officials had been when the animals were being killed.
"If they were alert, this would not have happened. Forest officials should not use third degree torture methods to force an accused to confess to a crime," it said in a statement here.
Criminal case should be launched against the guilty if the medical report was true, the commission said.