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A group of dalit families gheraoed the Coimbatore city police office on Sunday alleging that the whereabouts of three of their men who were taken into custody by the police four days ago are unknown and they are yet to be produced in court.
The families residing at Pappampatti, near Sulur, alleged that all three of them have no criminal history and ever since they were taken into custody, police have been contacting the family members demanding that they pay a huge amount for their release.
“On Wednesday night, around eight people in plain clothes stormed into our home and took my brother Manikandan, husband Sudalai, and a neighbour Maniselvan. They did not mention which station they were from, but they took the three saying they would be be released after an inquiry,” says Kalyani.
The dalits said they did not know which police have taken their kin into custody and have knocked doors of various police officers to find out the truth. “The policemen regularly contacted the family members and demanded money. But they never revealed their identity. We approached the Coimbatore district SP office who asked us to contact the Sulur police station. The inspector said it was the Tirupur police who have taken our men into custody. When we approached Tirupur SP, he said it was the Coimbatore city police which have arrested the three,” said G Selvam, state president of the Alaikudi Makkal Nala Sangam.
As the dalits gheraoed the city police office on Sunday, officers admitted that the three were in the custody of the Peelamedu police and that they are being interrogated in connection with burglaries. “The three persons have confessed to have committed about a dozen burglaries and they are interrogating them to recover the stolen properties. We have also taken into custody two of their accomplices from Thoothukudi district. We took them into custody only on Saturday night and will produce them in court soon,” said an investigating officer. “My husband earns by selling plastic household items; he has never been involved with any illegal activity. The police are trying to extort money from us. Even if they have arrested him for a crime, why are they not telling us where he is?” said Manikandan’s wife Bharathi.
Selvam says the organisation will file a petition in the Madras HC they have illegally detained the men.
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