BJP activists on Wednesday took out a march to the Atholi police station on the outskirts of the city, protesting against the alleged custodial torture of a youth, Puthenchery Anoop, last week.
Anoop, an autorickshaw driver and BJP worker, had lodged a complaint with the Kozhikode Rural Police chief, saying that he was beaten up naked inside the lock-up by an additional sub inspector after a case was registered against him for allegedly throwing firecrackers at the house of a police officer at Kakkur.
Speaking after inaugurating the protest march, BJP district president T.P. Jayachandran alleged that police stations had turned into local committee offices of the CPI(M) where justice remained elusive for the common man.
The images captured on CCTV cameras at the station should be examined to find out whether Anoop was tortured or not. The Kerala State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), which registered a suo motu case based on media reports, has recommended that the officer be suspended. The rural police chief has been asked to submit a report in three months.
