NHRC notice to DGP over stripping of mother-daughter in police custody in Bilaspur

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notice to the police chief of Chhattisgarh over reports of an elderly woman and her daughter being allegedly stripped naked and severely beaten by a woman police personnel in front of male colleagues at a police station in Bilaspur.

Describing it as an "inhuman and barbaric act", the NHRC in a statement on Monday said it has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report on the matter.

According to the report, the 60-year-old woman and her 27-year-old daughter, arrested on the charges of theft, were stripped naked and severely beaten by a woman police personnel in front of male police officials at City Kotwali Police Station on October 14, the NHRC said.

"Reportedly, being a patient of hypertension, the mother requested for medical treatment but was not heard. The injuries were inflected even on their vital body parts," the rights panel said.

The Commission has issued a notice to the Director General of Police (DGP), Chhattisgarh, seeking a report within four weeks along with details on action taken against the guilty police personnel.

While issuing the notice, the NHRC has observed that the contents of the media report, if true, raise serious issue of violation of human rights of the victims.

"Once a person is taken into custody, it becomes the duty of the police authorities to ensure his/her safety but in this case, the police personnel themselves appear to have behaved in a cruel and inhuman manner and subjected the victims to physical torture, which is an inhuman and barbaric act," the Commission observed.

According to the media report, carried on October 17, the matter came to light when both the victims were produced before the court where they narrated "traumatic tale of police brutality".

The court has, reportedly, ordered an inquiry into the matter by a gazetted officer and the report has been sought by October 26. The court has also mentioned about injuries of the victims and that they were unable to walk.