The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : ‘Release arrested innocent youths’

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Sunday, Jul 05, 2009
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

‘Release arrested innocent youths’

Special Correspondent

BANGALORE: The former Minister B.T. Lalitha Naik on Friday demanded that the Home Department immediately release 31 youths, who were arrested from their villages in Sringeri taluk of Chikmaglur district on false charges and languishing in jail for over two months.

She said that a team of Dalit and human rights activists visited Kerekatte, Gulaganji Mane, Keregrama and Mathalli and neighbouring villages in the taluk to study reasons for their arrest.

The team members talked to the villagers, who alleged that the arrests were made on fictitious charges. Terming it a serious violation of human rights, she demanded action against the police personnel for it.

She said that the youths and their families were living in the forests and working in plantations for decades. The former Minister said that the police had neither informed the relatives or the neighbours before the youths were taken into custody.

They were allegedly subjected to third-degree torture in the police stations, she said.

Several houses of the workers had been ransacked by anti-social elements, when they had left for work, she added.

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