Rights panel receives 279 cases against cops in 3 yrs

Bengaluru: The problem of police atrocity, especially illegal detention of people, appears to be more than just frequent in Karnataka, if cases with the human rights commission are any indication. In the last three years, 279 cases against cops from across the state have been registered with the state human rights commission (SHRC), with most cases still pending. Going by the statistics with the commission, at least 7 cases on an average have been reported per month, and almost two per week. The highest number of cases reported was in 2012 (185). The same stood at 31 and 63 in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Going by documents accessed by TOI, Bengaluru cops seem to be the worst. Sources in the commission say that the number of complaints reflects only a part of the problem. They say several cases go unreported in the fear of consequences, especially in districts other than Bengaluru. From demanding bribes to piling up false cases on people, the police are indulging in a series of human rights violations besides breaking rules that they are supposed to abide by. The year's first case of police atrocity is from Mysuru. On January 30, 2015, Manukumari, 24, Krishnaveni, 22 and Rekha, 23, had a midnight knock at their Vijayanagara home in Mysuru. Three officers from the local police station entered their house and threatened to arrest their husbands who weren't present. The women filed a complaint with the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), saying the behaviour of the police was rude. Naming the sub-inspector (Raghuprasad) and crime personnel Somashekara Shetty, the complaint alleged that Rs 1 lakh was demanded from the women to keep their husbands out of jail. Bengaluru's the worst Sarathi K (name changed), a tea vendor in south Bengaluru, told TOI: "In the last one year I have been picked up three times. Each time they book a petty case against me and release me only after they are paid. The last time I had to pay Rs 3,000 to get out." His is just one of the stories that often go unreported. Sarathi has just not been able to summon his courage to lodge a complaint against them. "When people who are meant to protect me threaten me, things get scary Sir. I'd rather toe their line than take them on, I have a family to run," he told this reporter. Of the 279 cases before the commission in the last three years, 233 are against Bengaluru cops, with illegal detention topping the table. Of the 185 cases across the state in 2012, 162 were against Bengaluru cops. In 2013, when a major dip was witnessed with just 31 cases, 22 of them were against Bengaluru cops and in 2014, the corresponding figures stood at 63 and 49. QUOTE No deviation is tolerated We are very clear about such matters. Illegal detention, third degree treatment and any violation of existing guidelines is completely out of question. All our personnel have been clearly informed about the Supreme Court guidelines. The police today are not like in the past, all officers are now conscious of human rights and we follow procedures strictly. Human right laws are here to stay and the police should lead by example M N Reddi | police commissioner -TOI