A sub-inspector from the Peroorkada Police Station in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, has been suspended while an investigation is underway after a Dalit domestic worker alleged that she was wrongly accused of theft and mentally harassed, officials reported on Monday.
According to officials, sub-inspector Prasad was suspended after the woman, identified as R Bindhu, was allegedly falsely accused of theft and subjected to mental harassment while in police custody. Bindhu had lodged formal complaints with the Chief Minister, the State Police Chief, and the State SC/ST Commission, detailing the mistreatment she faced.
A resident of Thiruvananthapuram, Bindhu was summoned to the station on April 23 after her employer filed a complaint alleging that 2.5 sovereigns of gold were missing from their residence. She was reportedly detained for nearly 20 hours and coerced into confessing to the theft. She was also allegedly threatened with the implication of her daughters and husband in the case.
“I worked at that house for three days till April 19. I was planning to resume work next week when this incident took place. I went to the station, and my employer was there. The sub-inspector said there is a complaint that 2.5 sovereigns of gold are missing, and I should return them. I said I did not take it. A woman officer checked my body and bag, and they didn’t find anything. They registered an FIR against me, but then found the missing gold at the employer’s residence itself. Police officers behaved very badly toward me. One of them threatened me, saying they would implicate my daughters and husband in the case. He said the society will treat me as a thief, and when I asked for water, he asked me to drink from the bucket kept in the bathroom,” Bindhu alleged.
Following the incident, VD Satheesan, the Leader of Opposition in the Kerala assembly, criticised the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government. “Even after the complaint was withdrawn, an FIR was filed against the woman, and she was threatened. If Pinarayi Vijayan continues as the Chief Minister, will water from the toilet be given to those who come to the police station? Is keeping a woman in the police station all night justice for this government?”
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