Latest news with #TamilNaduStateHumanRightsCommission
New Indian Express
23-05-2025
- New Indian Express
SRHC imposes Rs 4 lakh penalty on two policemen for breaking suspect's leg
TIRUNELVELI: Tamil Nadu State Human Rights Commission (SRHC) imposed a penalty of Rs 4 lakh and recommended disciplinary action against a sub-inspector (SI) and a head constable (HC) who broke the leg of a suspect in 2020. In its order on Wednesday, the SHRC member and Judge V Kannadasan confirmed that SI R Vimalan and head constable N Maharajan had violated the human rights of the victim E Petchivel. In his proof affidavit, Petchivel had submitted that he was arrested by the duo on January 15, 2020. "I was tortured in the police station by Vimalan and Maharajan. The next day, I was not given any food from the morning till noon and was put up in the lockup room. At about 3 pm, Vimalan tied my hands and legs and dropped the gas cylinder on my right leg. Unable to bear the pain, I cried and fell unconscious. Then I was given an injection at a private hospital and was produced before the Magistrate who recommended me for further treatment. Following this, the police took me to Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital where the doctors didn't ask me the cause of my injuries. They just put a bandage but the pain was immense and I did not sleep the whole night," Petchivel said. The SHRC rejected the Tirunelveli city police commissioner's report stating that the suspect jumped into a railway track, fell into a ditch, broke his leg, and blamed the doctors for not recording the injuries. The SHRC said that, considering the oral and documentary evidence and hearing the arguments of both parties, it is established that the police personnel brutally assaulted the victim and caused a fracture on his right leg. "During the arguments, the respondents submitted that Petchivel had more than 20 cases registered against him and the complainant and Petchivel's son, E Chandra, alleged that they were all false cases. It is an admitted universal truth that even a convict is entitled to human rights. Because Petchivel has more than 20 cases registered against him, no police are allowed to beat him or torture him in custody," Kannadasan remarked. The complainant Chandra had approached the commission in 2020 and Petchivel had passed away in 2024 while the case was still pending. The SHRC ordered the state government to collect each Rs 2 lakh from Vimalan and Maharajan and give it to Chandra. It also recommended disciplinary action against the duo. SHRC comes down heavily on docs In its order, the SHRC came down heavily on the hospital doctors for not reporting his injuries. "It's very wrong to say that the duty doctors did not record the injuries and mechanically filled the OP chit despite the Magistrate observing that the victim was unable to walk. Surprisingly in another medical document, it was mentioned that the patient was brought by the police. In such cases, the doctors shall examine the body of the accused and record any injuries found. But the duty doctors, Dr Charles, Dr Akhilesh, and Dr Dessik did not record any of it," the SHRC observed.
News18
24-04-2025
- News18
Tamil Nadu Student In Hospital After 600 Sit-Ups, Awarded Rs 2 Lakh Compensation
Last Updated: A schoolgirl in Tamil Nadu was hospitalised after being forced to do 600 sit-ups by her teacher who punished her for not completing a project. In a harrowing incident that has jolted Tamil Nadu, a young schoolgirl from Sivaganga was hospitalised in critical condition after she was forced to perform 600 sit-ups over two consecutive days as punishment for not completing a school project. The punishment, inflicted by a teacher at SS Kottai Government Higher Secondary School, led to an intervention by the Tamil Nadu State Human Rights Commission, which ordered the state government to pay Rs 2 lakh in compensation to the victim's mother. The case traces back to October 2017, but came to a head after years of legal review and official investigation. According to the complaint filed by the girl's mother, V Pandiselvi, a Class 7 student, was first subjected to 200 sit-ups on October 24 by her Tamil teacher. The following day, the punishment intensified when she was compelled to do another 400 sit-ups. The girl, who had just begun menstruating, returned home in a state of extreme fatigue and promptly collapsed. She began experiencing acute abdominal pain, heavy bleeding, and vomiting, prompting her family to rush her to Sivaganga Medical College, where she remained in the Intensive Care Unit for 6 days. Medical records and testimony presented during the enquiry supported the mother's claim that the punishment severely aggravated the girl's physical condition. The Tamil Nadu Human Rights Commission launched an enquiry into the matter after receiving the complaint, seeking a detailed report from the state's Department of School Education. The departmental report confirmed that the student had indeed been subjected to the extreme physical punishment due to her failure to submit a project assignment. Commission member V Kannadasan, who presided over the case, noted that the teacher in question failed to provide any response or explanation during the proceedings. Based on official documentation and testimonies, the Commission concluded that the incident constituted a clear violation of the student's human rights. The girl was subjected to inhumane and degrading treatment under the guise of school discipline, said Kannadasan in the Commission's final ruling, adding that the psychological and physical trauma caused by such actions cannot be justified under any circumstance. In its verdict, the Commission directed the Tamil Nadu government to disburse a compensation amount of Rs 2 lakh to the girl's mother. It also recommended that the state's Education Department take disciplinary action against the teacher responsible. First Published:
