The custodial torture of Leeba by the Cheranallore police pointed to rising trend of police atrocities against the common man and the authorities should initiate strict action against the accused, said Opposition leader V.S. Achuthanandan.
Mr. Achuthanandan was talking to reporters on Sunday after visiting Leeba — wife of Ratheesh at the Ernakulam General Hospital, where she has been undergoing treatment for a hairline fracture to her spine allegedly following custodial torture.
On the occasion, the woman gave an account as to what had happened to her in police custody and said the charges against her were all fabricated. Leeba told the CPI (M) leader that the police sprinkled chilli powder in her eyes and that they stamped on her, injuring her spinal cord.
The Opposition leader also interacted with her family members as well as the doctors treating her. CPI(M) area committee secretary S. Krishnamoorthy and Mahila association state committee member K R Padma were among the leaders who accompanied Mr. Achuthanandan during the visit.
Leeba, who was earlier working as a housemaid at a doctor’s house in Cheranallor, was taken into police custody on August 23 based on a complaint lodged by the house owner that 14 sovereign of gold ornaments went missing from his house. She was interrogated for two days in police custody but the police failed to recover the gold.
She has been undergoing treatment for the past three weeks ever since she had obtained bail from a local court.
The incident has sparked off protests in Cheranallore where a hartal was observed on September seeking justice to her. Following the protests, Police Complaints Authority chairman Justice K. Narayana Kurup visited the woman the other day and launched an inquiry into the incident.
