'Deeply disturbing, inhuman': Shashi Tharoor on alleged custodial torture of Kerala Youth Congress leader

Assaulting a citizen for questioning police threats is not just unlawful, it is inhuman, Tharoor said in a post on X

Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor, on Thursday, described as “deeply disturbing” the alleged custodial assault of Youth Congress leader VS Sujith by Kunnamkulam police, after CCTV footage of the two-year-old incident surfaced this week.

“The custodial violence against Youth Congress leader Sujith by Kunnamkulam Police is deeply disturbing. Assaulting a citizen for questioning police threats is not just unlawful, it is inhuman,” Tharoor said in a post on X.

“Such officers, who violate the very principles of justice and dignity, have no place in the police force. They have forfeited the moral right to continue in service. The CM and Home Department must act. Silence cannot be the shield for such brutality,” he added.

According to the CCTV footage, obtained after a prolonged legal battle under the Right to Information Act, Sujith was escorted into the police station before being repeatedly slapped and punched.

Sujith has alleged that the accused policemen had even offered him Rs 20 lakh to settle the case. “There were attempts to suppress the case, and only minor offences were charged. These officials are still in service, and no strict action has been taken against them,” PTI has quoted him as saying.

Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan has written to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan urging him to dismiss the accused officers.

“Despite Supreme Court rulings against custodial torture, senior officers allegedly tried to protect those involved by omitting key names from the charge sheet and concealing reports. The incident came to light only after the footage was obtained through the Right to Information Act,” he noted.

Satheesan also warned of intensified protests if no action is taken. “We will go to any extreme beyond what has been done so far by Congress. There is no compromise in this matter,” he told reporters in Ernakulam.

He alleged Sujith was framed in a false case. “He did not commit any offence. A false case was fabricated, accusing him of creating a nuisance under the influence of liquor. Medical tests later proved he had not consumed liquor,” Satheesan writes.

“This is evidence of custodial torture in Kerala police stations. We demand the immediate dismissal of such policemen with criminal mentalities from service,” he added, dismissing claims by senior officers that disciplinary action had already been taken.

“The so-called disciplinary measures were only to protect the accused policemen. The police are being controlled by a group in the Chief Minister’s office, and the DIG should not become the spokesperson of that group,” Satheesan alleged, adding that even a detailed report by the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime Detachment) was suppressed.

In the meantime, KPCC president Sunny Joseph, Chalakudy MP Benny Behnan, and Congress leader TN Prathapan met Sujith and expressed solidarity.

“A criminal case should be registered against these officers. Sujith is not alone. Congress and the people of Kerala, who want proper law and order, are with him. The Chief Minister and the Home Department are siding with the accused,” Joseph said.

Youth Congress workers also staged a protest march to the residence of Sub-Inspector Nuhman, one of the accused. The march turned violent after protesters attempted to breach barricades, leading to a police lathi charge that left several injured.

Nuhman was not at his residence at the time and is currently staying at the police quarters in Thrissur, according to police.