Fact Finding Report on "Rape of Dalit Girl Karungammal"
The Tamil Daily Dinamani dated 05.03.06 carried a news report that Karungammal, D/o. Panja of Ramanathaswamy Street, Rameshwaram in Ramanathapuram District belonging to the Arundhatiyar community was brutally raped by Muniasamy and Muthu belonging to the Agamudaiyar community and residing at Thittakudi Street and that a demonstration was held in Rameshwaram on behalf of the Arundhatiyar Confederation, demanding the arrest of the perpetrators of the sexual crime.
Fact Finding Report on "Youth Tortured in custody"
The Tamil Daily Dinakaran dated 28.02.06 carried a report that said that Sathish Kumar of Vandiyur in Theppakulam Police limits in Madurai Corporation had been tortured in illegal detention by Theppakulam Police on 25.02.06. To find the facts behind this report, a monitoring team comprising of Mr. Pradeep Solomon and Mr. Muniaraj of People's Watch went on a fact finding mission and met the victim, his family members and police officials.
Fact Finding Report on "Death of students under mysterious circumstances in private school"
Rayar Higher Secondary School is a private school in Alandhur Village that comes under Avinasi police limits in Avinasi Taluk, Coimbatore District. The deaths of Nachimuthu, S/o. Saminathan belonging to Arundhatiyar Community and Sri Ram Kumar, S/o. Manoharan of Devangar Community, who were students of this school, occurred one after another. Regional Monitoring Associates Ms. Palaniammal, RMA and Mr. Sekar conducted a fact finding on this.
Fact Finding Report on "Youth loses life by falling into well on being chased by policemen"
Venkatesan (23/06), S/o. Masilamani was a resident of 21 D, Shanmugam Street, Semmandalam, Cuddalore Town in Cuddalore District. Policemen chased Venkatesan who was taking part in New Year celebrations and Venkatesan accidentally fell into a well and lost his life. This news report was published in the Pondicherry edition of the Tamil Daily Tamil Murasu and this was reported to People's Watch over telephone by Mr. Babu, the Taluk Convener of Campaign against Torture for Cuddalore. A fact finding team comprising of Mr. Titty Albert, Mr. Srinivasan and Mr. Babu went to the place of incident on 05.01.06 and 06.01.06.
Fact Finding Report on "Police Excess on Human Rights Defender Mr. Samathuvam"
Mr. Samathuvam, a retired school teacher and hostel warden in Govt. Adi Dravidar Boys School has been taking forward a multidimensional struggle for the rights of the marginalized, women and the sections of the society that are oppressed. On 19.12.05 he conducted a procession demanding that the people of the Kattunayakkar community be provided ST Community Certificate and continuously sent petitions to the RDO. He lodged complaint against persons who attempted to disgrace this struggle and following this police arrested 36 persons (27 women and 9 men) including Mr. Samathuvam, filed case against them in Cr. No. 1108/05 U/s. 147, 341, 353 and 506 (1) of the IPC.
Fact Finding Report on "Youth subjected to custodial torture in Nayinar Kovil Police Station"
The Tamil daily Dinamani dated 22.12.05 carried a report that Ganesan of Memangalam Village in Nayinarkovil Police limits, Paramakudi Taluk in Ramanathapuram District who was taken for inquiry regarding a jewelry theft case had been subjected to torture by the Inspector and other policemen in a brutal manner. Based on this information fact finding was conducted on the dates 261.2.05, 27.12.05 and 28.12.05 and 03.01.06.
Fact Finding Report on "Azhagan, a Dalit, tortured at Usilampatti Police Station"
People's Watch - Tamil Nadu was informed over phone that Azhagan (35), S/o. Aiyyar, a Dalit residing at Mekkizharpatti Village in Usilampatti Taluk of Madurai District had been missing on 15.12.05 after he came to the Court to attend the hearing of the case lodged against him at Palamedu Police Station on the instigation of the people of Piramalai Kallar community residing in the same village and that Usilampatti Police had tortured him in illegal custody on 17.12.05.
Fact Finding Report on "Priest subjects School students to torture by branding them with hot iron"
The Tamil Daily Dinamani carried a report which said that a priest subjected 5 students of Karunai Illam in Ittadi Village, Palayamkottai Taluk in Tirunelveli Taluk to torture by branding them with hot iron on the allegation that they stole money. Following this, a fact finding team constituted jointly by People's Watch, Vanmukil and Saranalayam met the victims and witnesses of the incident and the concerned police and administrative officials on 12, 13 and 14.12.05.
Fact Finding Report on "Vachaathi revisited "
The English Daily Indian Express dated 23.11.05 carried a report that Prohibition Enforcement Wing (PEW) Police of Athur Taluk, Salem District entered Pattivalavu (Chinna Kedar) village in Kariyalur Police limits of Sankarapuram Taluk in Villupuram District on 18.10.05 under the pretext of raid and dishonoured women and subjected them to torture. Following this People’s Watch Tamil Nadu’s monitoring unit deputed a team to undertake a fact finding mission on the incident on 5.12.05 and 6.12.05.
Fact Finding Report on "Abinaya, a Dalit student of Madurai Law College, murdered"
On 09.11.05 Mr. Robert Chandra Kumar, an Advocate, informed us over phone that Abinaya (19), D/o. Chidambaram, a Dalit girl, had been raped and murdered by Anandraj, a person belonging to Kallar community. This news was also published in the Tamil Dailies Malai Murasu dated 09.11.05 and Malai Murasu and Dinaboomi dated 15.1.05. People’s Watch’s monitoring team conducted a fact finding on this issue on the dates 19.11.05 and 20.11.05.
Fact Finding Report on "Alleged sucide in Police Custody in Athur, Salem"
The Tamil Daily Kaalaikathir dated 20.10.05 carried a report that Azhagappan of Umayalpuram Village in Ethappoor Police Limits in Athur Taluk, Salem District who was arrested in a petty case on 20.10.05 committed suicide on 22.10.05 in the Police Station. Following this, the monitoring unit of People's Watch – Tamilnadu undertook a fact finding mission on this incident on 25.10.05 and 26.10.05.
Fact Finding Report on "Youth Tortured in Police Custody"
Mr. Vinod (25), S/o. Sundaresan and Mr. Pazhani (31), S/o. Krishnan, are labourers who reside at Kalavanpettai in Vellore Taluk of Vellore District. On 21.09.05 Highway Police caught them near Palligonda in an inquiry regarding their driving license and RC book and took them to Pallaigonda Police Station where false case for theft (gold chain robbery) was registered against them. Pazhani and Vinod were tortured there and were then taken to Ambur Taluk Police Station, where they were kept in illegal detention till 24.09.05 and subjected to torture. Coming to know of this incident from the victims on 2.01.06, the monitoring team of People's Watch - Tamil Nadu went to the concerned places on 3.01.06 and 5.01.06 and conducted fact finding.
Fact Finding Report on "Members of Minority Community arrested under charges of belonging to terrorist outfit"
Since 3.00 p.m. on 22.07.05 officials of the Police Department have been creating sensation in Coimbatore and all other places of Tamil Nadu with stories that are allegedly fabricated by generating press releases, alleging that there was a conspiracy to plants bombs in Coimbatore. On the basis of the above mentioned anti – minority press releases issued by the police, news was spread that five persons had been arrested and that they belonged to an organization named MNP (Manitha Neethi Pasarai). The wife of one of the arrestees, Ms. Naseema, W/o. Haroon Batcha lodged complaint that the whereabouts of her husband Haroon Batcha and his brothers who were arrested on 21.07.06 were not known, to Vaigai Satta Niruvanam which in turn forwarded the complaint and its findings on the issue to People's Watch on 30.07.06
Fact Finding Report on "Virudhunagar Police subject Velmurugan to torture making him drink urine"
Velmurugan (32/05), S/o. Chellakani is a resident of Thangathayammal compound, Chakkammalpuram, Meenakshi Nagar in Virudhunagar Taluk of Virudhunagar District. On the basis of suspicion regarding the two murders that took place in Virudhunagar 6 months ago, a special investigation team, under the leadership of Mr. Baskaran, the Inspector of Virudhunagar Bazaar Police Station, brought Velmurugan to the Police Station and kept him in illegal custody from 18.07.05 to 24.07.05 and subjected him to brutal torture. Then when they came to know that he was not the culprit, he was released. The victim, Mr. Velmurugan came in person to People's Watch - Tamil Nadu at around 10.00 p.m. on 4.08.05 and lodged complaint regarding this.
Fact Finding Report on "Journalist Tortured at Police Station"
Mr. Shanmugam (51), S/o. Rajagopal of Amburpettai in Vaniyambadi Taluk of Vellore District belongs to Hindu Agamudaiya Mudaliar Community. He ran the monthly, “Kannottam” and was its Editor too. On 01.07.2005 at around 12.10 a.m. in the midnight Vaniyampadi Town Police barged into his house and took him to Vaniyampadi Town Police Station in the name of inquiry where they subjected him to torture.
Fact Finding Report on "Untouchability practiced against Dalit students in Hindu Primary School."
The teachers of Hindu Primary School owned by people of the Hindu Naidu community of P. Lakshmipuram Village in Pandhuvarpatti Panchayat of Sathur Taluk in Virudhunagar District have been discriminating the Dalit students who come from Melapudur Village and have been subjecting them to atrocious practices of untouchability. Their parents who came to know about this questioned the school administrators. But no proper responses were given. Following this a kind of divide started prevailing among the residents of both the villages.
Fact Finding Report on "Dalit woman tortured in a Tirunelveli Police Station"
Kamalam, a Dalit woman residing in Sivan Kovil North Street, in Pazhavur Police limits in Radhapuram Taluk, Tirunelveli District was apparently assaulted and shouted at in caste abusive terms by the Sub Inspector of Pazhavur Police Station. The victim came in person to People's Watch office and lodged complaint regarding this. On the basis of this, fact finding was conducted on this incident on 17 and 18.05.05.
Fact Finding Report on "Dalit youth tortured in Thuckalay Police Station"
On getting information over phone from the office of People’s Watch – Tamil Nadu that Jebamani (17), a Dalit youth who is a resident of Marundhukottai village in Vilavoor Panchayat, Kalkulam Taluk in Kanyakumari District had been taken for inquiry by Mr. Bensam, Sub Inspector of Thuckalay Police Station and subjected to assault and torture at that Police Station for 3 days, fact finding was conducted on this issue by the concerned Regional Monitoring Associate on the 29th and the 30th of March 2005.
