Two Rachakonda Police Officers Suspended For Third Degree On Woman

Rachakonda Commissioner of Police D S Chauhan today responded to the case in which a woman was taken to the police station in the middle of the night on Independence Day and subjected to third degree torture, suspending two police constables, including a head constable, for committing the criminal act.

Head constable Shiv Shankar and woman constable Sumalatha have been suspended for assaulting the woman.

The CP had an inquiry conducted into the assault and obtained a report, based on which an order was issued suspending the two police personnel. The woman however alleged that an SI and other policemen had also beaten her up.

Varalakshmi, a resident of Nandi Hills Colony in the Meerpet Municipal Corporation limits and a tribal, had gone to her relatives' house in Saroornagar for taking money for her daughter's wedding. On the night of August 15 at about 11:30 pm, she was waiting at the L B Nagar circle for some mode of transport to take her home, when she was questioned by a police patrol van about what she was doing there and why she had that money. The police then reportedly took her to the police station and used third degree interrogation methods on her, especially after she rebelled against them.

The next morning, upon the instructions of an officer, she was let off by the police. She was reportedly unable to walk due the police attack.

The victim alleged that she was beaten up and kicked by the police for no reason. There has been widespread criticism of the police's treatment of the woman, prompting the CP to suspend two police.