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Deccan Herald
an hour ago
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
Dakshina Kannada crackdown: Keep politics out
Two back-to-back murders in Dakshina Kannada, each laced with communal undertones, have finally jolted the government to action. Police officers are now cracking down on lumpen elements across communities – a much-needed move to restore order. The government has rightly overhauled the police top brass in Dakshina Kannada and neighbouring Udupi, signalling a firm resolve to address the escalating communal tensions. But even as law enforcement begins to act decisively, Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje has chosen a troubling path. She has written to Justice N K Sudhindra Rao, chairman of the Police Complaints Authority, alleging police harassment of 'innocent' Hindu activists. A copy of the letter has also been marked to the National Human Rights fact finding committee on DK murders to submit interim report next complaint is both misplaced and misleading. As a constitutional authority, she should stand by the law, not those who flout it. The police have been doing their duty in a district teetering on the edge. Her letter, devoid of specifics, amounts to a blatant interference in the enforcement of law and order. The claim that GPS tracking is being used to target Hindutva activists holds no water – modern technology tools are legitimate instruments to track criminal suspects irrespective of their religious identity. Who exactly are these 'innocent' people she wants to shield? Many are known offenders. For instance, Suhas Shetty whose recent murder sparked outrage was a rowdy sheeter with two murder charges against him, all booked when BJP was in power. Karandlaje's portrayal of police action as one-sided is factually incorrect. The list of anti-social elements who the police propose to extern from the district includes those from both Hindu and Muslim communities. Such interference from a union minister not only undermines the police action to restore peace but also sends dangerous signals that political patronage can shield anti-social elements from the due process of law. The Prime Minister should take serious note of Minister seeks PCA, NHRC intervention over 'targeting' of Hindutva groups in Dakshina police must be allowed to continue their operations unhindered. They should act even against those occupying top positions if they engage in hate speech or incite violence. Politicians who poison the minds of the youth and use them as pawns for narrow electoral gains, while their children study abroad, should be held accountable. The state government must back the police not just with moral support, but with robust legal resources that ensure that these criminals don't get a reprieve from the court. The coastal districts need healing and that will happen only when politicians stop stoking fires, and allow the law to take its course.
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- General
- New Indian Express
Stop harassing Dakshina Kannada Hindu activists, urges Union MoS Shobha
BENGALURU: Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Shobha Karandlaje has urged Justice NK Sudhindra Rao, chairman, Police Complaints Authority, to initiate immediate action to prevent police harassment of members associated with Hindu organisations in Dakshina Kannada. In a letter to Justice Rao, Karandlaje expressed concern over the developments in Dakshina Kannada, where it has been reported that the police under the alleged pressure from the ruling Congress have been systematically targeting and harassing individuals associated with Hindu organisations. Even social workers, traders and ordinary citizens are not spared, she alleged.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
Karandlaje seeks NHRC intervention over ‘targeting' of Hindutva groups in Dakshina Kannada
Accusing the police of acting under pressure from the Congress government and 'systematically targeting and harassing' individuals associated with Hindutva organisations, social workers and traders in Dakshin Kannada, Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Shobha Karandlaje, has sought the intervention of the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). In a letter addressed to N.K. Sudhindra Rao, the Chairman of PCA, and a copy marked to the NHRC on Tuesday, the Minister said that a 'pattern of intimidation' began shortly after the recent change in police leadership in Mangaluru and has been directed almost exclusively at members of the Hindu community. 'Many of those being harassed have no criminal background or history of unlawful activity. The selective nature of these actions raises serious concerns about the misuse of police force as a tool of political vendetta, which is entirely unacceptable in a democratic society governed by the rule of law.' The Minister pointed out that the use of State machinery to intimidate and harass citizens not only breaches their constitutional protection but also violates the spirit of the Supreme Court's guidelines on police conduct. 'Such actions, if allowed to continue unchecked, risk undermining the credibility of law enforcement and disturbing communal harmony in the region.' Urging the authority to intervene to stop unlawful actions, Ms. Karandlaje said, 'A thorough and impartial inquiry must be conducted into the conduct of the police officers involved, and those found guilty of violating constitutional norms and citizens' rights should be held accountable. It is imperative that the Police Complaints Authority upholds its duty to ensure that policing in Karnataka remains fair, just and within the framework of law.'
New Indian Express
20-05-2025
- New Indian Express
Kerala SI suspended after Dalit woman's custodial harassment kicks up row
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Caught in a sticky wicket after the basic rights of a Dalit woman were trampled upon at Peroorkada station, the police department finally sprung into action and suspended the sub-inspector for 'indiscipline and abuse of power.' S G Prasad was punished for custodial harassment of a Dalit woman detained on a complaint of theft that was later found to be baseless. Prasad, who had looked into the complaint, was suspended on the basis of a report filed by the Special Branch assistant commissioner. The city police commissioner said Prasad did not comply with the procedures mandated by law after receiving the complaint of theft. 'The report prima facie reveals that the action of the sub-inspector is unbecoming of an officer, which tarnished the image of the police force among the public and caused mental agony to the victim. The above action amounts to gross indiscipline and abuse of power,' a communique from the commissioner read. Bindu R, who hails from Panavoor near Nedumangad, was detained on April 23 after gold ornaments weighing 18 grams were reported stolen from a house at Ambalamukku where she was working as a domestic helper. The complainant was filed by houseowner Omana Davis and Bindu was detained by Peroorkada police when she was returning home. The 39-year-old was kept at the station for about 20 hours where she was verbally abused, mocked for her skin colour, deprived of sleep and even denied drinking water. "When I asked for drinking water, I was told to have it from the toilet,' she said. According to Bindu, she was taken to her house as part of investigation and was not allowed to talk to her family. The cops also threatened to implicate her daughters in the case if she did not confess to having committed the theft. An FIR was registered, but later she was shooed away after the houseowner reportedly informed the cops that the gold ornaments were not stolen and were found in the house. However, the distraught woman was not ready to leave the harrowing experience just like that. She approached the Chief Minister's Office, SC/ST Commission and the Police Complaints Authority.
Hindustan Times
15-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Chandigarh: PCA indicts 4 cops for activist's false arrest, custodial torture
Charging them with serious misconduct by illegally arresting and torturing a local activist in 2018, the Police Complaints Authority (PCA), Chandigarh, has directed disciplinary action and criminal prosecution against four police personnel, including an inspector and sub-inspector. The final order, passed on May 8, 2025, affirms PCA's earlier tentative findings, dated February 24, 2020, which held the four cops accountable for misuse of authority, falsely implicating the activist and subjecting him to inhuman treatment in custody. The four cops facing legal action include inspector Ranjit Singh, sub-inspector Vidya Nand, assistant sub-inspector Raj Singh and constable Rajesh Kumar. The complainant, Vineet Verma had alleged that on July 28, 2018, he and an acquaintance named Gurbhajan Singh, alias Guti, were illegally detained and physically assaulted at the Manimajra police station. According to Verma's affidavit, he had visited the station to support his earlier complaint against hookah bars operating illegally in Chandigarh and Panchkula. But inspector Ranjit Singh subjected him to filthy language, ordered the seizure of his and Guti's mobile phones, and had them confined in the munshi's room. Verma further alleged that he was dragged to the police station's patio and brutally beaten up with slaps, punches and a baton, allegedly in the presence of his brother and others. He was also allegedly subjected to sexual abuse while in custody, including insertion of a bamboo stick in his private parts by police personnel. Verma claimed that this torture was retaliatory due to his previous vigilance complaint against ASI Narinder of Manimajra police station and his public opposition to the BJP. He had filed complaints against hookah bars operating illegally in Panchkula and Chandigarh, allegedly with the backing of ASI Narinder. A woman named Meenakshi was also allegedly coerced into filing a false complaint against him, citing an altercation on Old Ropar Road, on the basis of which a daily diary report was registered and he was placed under preventive arrest under Sections 107 and 151 of the CrPC. PCA picks holes in police claims The PCA examined the case over multiple hearings and found serious discrepancies in the police version of events. The alleged altercation between complainant Vineet Verma and Meenakshi did not take place at Old Ropar Road, as claimed by police. While the police record shows that a police officer met Meenakshi at the spot and started his inquiry, Meenakshi herself, in a sworn statement before PCA, said she never met any police officer on the way to the police station. Phone records and sworn statements also proved Meenakshi was not present at the scene during the claimed time and was instead in Panchkula. Therefore, she could not have made the complaint at Old Ropar Road. The findings clearly establish that Verma was arrested at the Manimajra police station and thereafter a complaint was obtained from Meenakshi. DDRs 84, 90 and 91, all dated July 28, 2018, were found to have been fabricated after Verma was already in police custody. While the PCA had earlier dismissed allegations of verbal abuse and physical beating as unproven due to lack of corroboration, it confirmed that Verma was indeed falsely arrested and that evidence was manipulated to justify the detention. PCA rejects DGP's justification In response to the PCA's 2020 order, the director general of police (DGP), Chandigarh, had submitted a report defending the actions of the police personnel, citing Verma's apology before the SDM (the decisive authority in preventive arrest cases) and lack of formal complaints to the jail authorities regarding his injuries. The PCA, however, dismissed these justifications, observing that the DGP failed to counter the core findings of the authority and instead relied on superficial arguments already addressed. 'The apology before SDM by the complainant could be out of compulsion to get rid of proceedings under Section 107/151 CrPC,' the order noted. Reaffirming its earlier conclusions, the PCA ruled that inspector Ranjit Singh, SI Vidya Nand, ASI Raj Singh and constable Rajesh Kumar had engaged in grave misconduct and criminal behaviour, calling for strict disciplinary action and criminal prosecution. Police watchdog keeping eye on misconduct by cops The PCA serves as an independent body to address complaints and allegations of serious misconduct, abuse of power, excesses and corruption against police personnel, ensuring justice for aggrieved citizens. Serious misconduct includes any act of a police officer that leads to or amounts to death in police custody, grievous hurt, rape or attempt to commit rape, arrest or detention without due process of law, extortion, land/house grabbing or any incident involving serious abuse of authority After investigating the allegations, the authority communicates its findings to the police officer heading the police force with direction to register an FIR and/or initiate departmental action against the delinquent police official based on such findings. The recommendations of PCA are binding unless the police administration disagrees with the authority's findings, with reasons in writing. How to file a complaint Complaints to PCA may be submitted personally/by post (3 copies, along with enclosures, if any, supported with affidavit) at the PCA office at UT Secretariat, Sector 9-D, Chandigarh. A complaint in writing may also be dropped into the complaint box fixed on the wall of the PCA office or through email address: papcahd@
