Human Rights Watch highlights Indian police brutality in latest report

NEW DELHI: A recent report by the Human Rights Watch slammed Indian police for brutalities it commits on a frequent basis and violation of arrest procedures. 

According to details, the report titled "Bound by Brotherhood’: India’s Failure to End Killings in Police" exposed how Indian police violate arrest procedures and often torture suspects that results in custodial deaths. Often, the officials investigating police regarding these deaths are more concerned with protecting their colleagues than bringing the responsible to justice. 

“Police in India will learn that beating suspects to confess is unacceptable only after officers are prosecuted for torture,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director. “Our research shows that too often, the police officers investigating deaths in custody are more concerned about shielding their colleagues than bringing those responsible to justice.”

According to official data compiled, as many as 591 people died in police custody in India from 2010 to 2015. While police claim natural causes, illness or suicide for these deaths, relatives of the victims claim otherwise. Relatives of the deceased allege that police torture to death suspects in their custody. 

One of the victims of Indian police brutality was Agnelo Valdaris, 25, who was arrested on suspicion of theft. In police custody, he was beaten, tortured and sexually abused. He died on April 18, 2014, three days after he had been arrested. This is what his father had to say about the incident:

"My son’s hand was plastered and he told me that police beat him all night. He said to me, “They will kill me daddy.” … I fully cooperated with the police, trusting them. I handed my son over to them. Now I am carrying the guilt every day. Had I not given my son to the police, he would have been alive," he said.