A lorry driver, who was taken into custody by the Punnapra police on Friday night on charges of manhandling policemen and preventing them from doing their duty, collapsed in court and alleged that he was brutally tortured in custody. The police have denied the allegation.
The driver, Sajeev, 39, was taken into custody after he started dancing atop a chair during a musical programme at the Ambalapuzha Festival on Friday night. Police said he had refused to stop creating nuisance for the rest of the audience and when they attempted to remove him from the venue, he manhandled the policemen and obstructed them from carrying out their duties.
However, on Saturday, as Sajeev was produced before Ambalapuzha Judicial First Class Magistrate P. Jyothis Ben around 3 p.m., he appeared uneasy and soon collapsed. As the Magistrate enquired with him on his condition, he alleged that he was tortured by the police while in custody.
The Magistrate then recorded his statement and ordered him to be taken to a hospital, following which an ambulance shifted him to the Alappuzha Medical College Hospital, Vandanam.
The police, meanwhile, have denied torturing him. Punnapra Sub-Inspector M.K. Rajesh told The Hindu that Sajeev was not tortured at all and that he appeared to be in good health, while being taken to the court. His collapsing in the court and allegations of torture were stories cooked up by his lawyers and he had parroted their story, the official said.
Sajeev was also involved in other cases registered by the Alappuzha South police in connection with causing disturbance to the public, he said.
