Kurinji Tamizhar Vidudhalai Iyakkam demands action against A.P. police over alleged custodial violence on Kuravar families

The Kurinji Tamizhar Vidudhalai Iyakkam affiliated to the Vidudhalai Chiruthaigal Katchi staged a protest here on Monday demanding to register cases against the Andhra Pradesh police under various provisions of the Prevention of Atrocities Act and the Indian Penal Code for the alleged custodial torture and illegal detention of seven persons from Kuravar tribe

  The Kurinji Tamizhar Vidudhalai Iyakkam affiliated to the Vidudhalai Chiruthaigal Katchi staged a protest here on Monday demanding to register cases against the Andhra Pradesh police under various provisions of the Prevention of Atrocities Act and the Indian Penal Code for the alleged custodial torture and illegal detention of seven persons from Kuravar tribe.

The movement also demanded compensation for the victims of custodial violence.

Last month, a fact-finding team of the Tamil Nadu Malaivazh Makkal Sangam, and Tamilnadu Kuravan Pazhangudi Makkal Munnetra Sangam released accounts of torture that included sexual violence on women, after seven persons, including women and a child, were picked up from Puliyandapatty village in Mathur by Chitoor police of Andhra Pradesh to investigate a case of theft. The police from the neighbouring State had picked up entire family of a suspect from the Kuravar community, a scheduled Tribe, and held them for over five days reportedly without due process, according to the Tribal organisations affiliated to the CPI (M) that had intervened for their release.

On Monday, the VCK’s tribal wing demanded to know the action taken on the complaint of the victims. The protesters also demanded a compensation of ₹ 25 lakh to the victims under the Scheduled Caste Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act; demanded invoking the IPC for the violence inflicted on the women; and demanded that the FIR purportedly on foisted charges against the victims by the police alleging involvement in theft be dropped.