In a curious turn of events, Surya, 28, one of the alleged custodial torture victims, who was the first to accuse Balveer Singh, the suspended Assistant Superintendent of Police, Ambasamudram, of pulling out his teeth, did a volte face on Wednesday. He claimed that his teeth was broken after an accidental fall.
His statement was recorded before the Sub-Collector, Cheranmahadevi, Mohammed Shabbir Alam, who is inquiring into the alleged torture.
“I lost my teeth when I accidentally fell on the ground,” claimed Surya, a resident of Zamin Singampatti under the Kallidaikurichi police station limits, when journalists met him after he recorded his statement in the inquiry held at the Sub-Collector’s Office.
He had appeared before the inquiry commission upon being summoned. When Mr. Surya boarded the official vehicle of the Tahsildar, Cheranmahadevi, along with his friend, to leave for the government hospital to get the teeth examined by the doctors there, journalists who surrounded the vehicle asked repeatedly if he was under pressure or threat from the police or he was paid money for contradicting his earlier allegations. “I neither took money nor am I under pressure from the police,” he replied before the vehicle left the Sub-Collector’s Office campus.
Recently a few persons had alleged on social media platforms that Mr. Balveer Singh, a 2020-batch officer of the Indian Police Service, damaged their teeth with blue metal and uprooted them with cutting pliers after they were picked up in “trivial cases”, including that of a group clash over an extra-marital affair.
The young police officer was put in ‘vacancy reserve’ on Monday and placed under suspension on Wednesday. Collector K.P. Karthikeyan ordered an inquiry by Mr. Mohammed Shabbir Alam, who is summoning those who had made the allegations.
Published - March 29, 2023 07:15 pm IST
