The second judicial magistrate court in Coimbatore on Wednesday directed the Kattoor police in Coimbatore to preserve visuals of surveillance cameras in the station after the parents of an accused in an attempt to murder case alleged that the police tortured their son in illegal custody.
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The court issued the direction based on a plea submitted by R. Dhanalakshmi and her husband Rajarathinam of Balaji Garden at Keeranatham. On Tuesday, the parents prayed for the preservation of the videos, alleging that the police took their son R. Jayakumar, a taxi driver, into custody on September 16 and he was subjected to third-degree torture till his arrest and remand on September 20.
Jayakumar is one of the 12 accused arrested by the police for attempt to murder two men at Ram Nagar in Coimbatore on September 12.
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The parents moved the court after Jayakumar was admitted to a hospital in Tiruppur on September 22 following difficulty in passing urine, and he was shifted to the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) the next day. He has been undergoing dialysis since then.
Ms. Dhanalakshmi said that Jayakumar was shifted to the intensive care unit and doctors or the police were not giving proper information about his condition.
Advocate S. Balamurugan from the People’s Union for Civil Liberties said the preservation of CCTV visuals would help human rights bodies to check allegations of custodial violence.
“The Supreme Court of India has emphasised the need to preserve CCTV visuals in police stations in the judgment ‘Paramvir Singh Saini vs Baljit Singh’ in 2020. As per the judgment, CCTV footage should be preserved not less than six months and the victim has a right to have the same secured in the event of violation of his human rights,” he said.