Maharashtra Terror Police continue to torture social workers

TORTURE

• Salekasa police had pumped 30 ml of petrol up Murali Reddy’s anus, which caused severe bleeding later. On Thursday, Adenwalla secured an order from the court to get Reddy examined by a civil surgeon in Gondia

• Arun Ferreira’s soles were whipped with batons while ice was kept on his genitals

• All four were subjected to third-degree torture during police interrogation.

Nagpur police prolonging Arun Ferreira’s custody: lawyer

IAPL member Maharukh Adenwalla is also arguing the case of Murali Reddy, who was held with Bandra resident Arun Ferreira (below) on charges of having links with Naxals

The International Association of People’s Lawyers (IAPL) on Friday said the Nagpur police was wrongly implicating alleged Naxalite Arun Ferreira and his associates in several cases to prolong their police custody and torturing them.

Ferreira and his co-detenues will now undergo another narco-analysis test following the order of a magistrate’s court in Bhandara. The previous test was inconclusive.

IAPL member Maharukh Adenwalla, who is also arguing the case of Murali Reddy, picked up along with Ferreira, says, “Ever since their arrest on May 8, Reddy has been in police custody. [Bandra-resident] Ferreira, who remained in police custody till June 19, has only now been sent to judicial custody. The law allows police custody for only 15 days. That is why the police has been implicating them in different cases — if they get out in one case, they can be arrested in another.”

Nagpur police had arrested Ferreira, Reddy, Naresh Bansod and Dhanendra Bhurle for alleged links with Naxal groups on May 8. Adenwalla pointed to a 2005 landmine blast case in which the accused had already been arrested by the Salekasa police. Now, the police have implicated Ferreira and Reddy in that case. Interestingly, the FIR does not even mention them as accused.

“This is a serious infringement of democratic rights,” says Adenwalla, “in our June 8 petition, we asked the court to direct the police to give us details of all the cases in which the accused have been implicated.”

TORTURE ALLEGATIONS

• Salekasa police had pumped 30 ml of petrol up Murali Reddy’s anus, which caused severe bleeding later. On Thursday, Adenwalla secured an order from the court to get Reddy examined by a civil surgeon in Gondia

• Arun Ferreira’s soles were whipped with batons while ice was kept on his genitals

• All four were subjected to third-degree torture during police interrogation.


LEGAL TANGLE

* According to Adenwalla, the day after their arrest, Ferreira and the others were again arrested by the Dhantoli police.

* As soon as they were given judicial custody on May 20, the four were sent to Mumbai for narco-analysis tests.

* On May 23, when they returned from Mumbai, the Salekasa police applied to the magistrate for their custody.

* From May 28 to June 6, the four were in the custody of Salekasa police.

* Then, Bansod was sent to judicial custody, but the others were handed over to the Chichgad police till June 19.

* While Ferreira, Bansod and Bhurle are now in Nagpur jail, Reddy is with the Duggipur police.

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