Ambasamudram police torture: TN CB-CID begins probe

Elite CB-CID of the Tamil Nadu police on Saturday took over the infamous Ambasamudram police torture case in which victims have accused the suspended Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Balveer Singh of "inflicting brutal torture" on them in custody.

The victims of Ambasamudram police torture had come out in the open and alleged that the 2020 batch IPS officer had plucked their teeth out with iron pliers and filled their mouths with blue metal, gravel, and beaten them till they bled.

Notably, police had taken into custody a few youths for fighting with each other. The youths were not habitual offenders and were either students or had completed their studies and a love affair issue of one of the group members had led to the fight with the opposing group leading to a fight between them. When in police custody, the ASP was charged with torturing them inhumanely by plucking their teeth and hitting on the private parts of two youths.

The youths came out on social media in the open leading to a major uproar with human rights organisations and social activists taking up the issue.

Advocate Maharajan of the Netaji Subash Sena took up the matter and followed up with the District Police Superintendent and other officials leading to action against Balveer Singh.

He was first suspended from service and later an FIR was registered against him.

With the human rights activists and family members of the tortured youths coming up against police, the government had to hand over the case to the CB-CID. Human rights activists have been vociferously arguing to register cases against other policemen who were on duty during the torture episode and who were involved in forcibly holding the youths while the ASP was plucking their teeth with iron pliers.