Karnataka: Sub-inspector accused of making Dalit youth drink inmate’s urine arrested

Police sources told The Indian Express that PSI Arjun was arrested in Bengaluru on Wednesday night. The victim, Punith K L, also alleged that the police officer made him lick the urine from the floor.

By Darshan Devaiah BP 

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Wednesday night arrested police sub-inspector (PSI) Arjun who had forced a Dalit youth to drink an inmate’s urine at the Gonibeedu police station in Mudigere taluk in May this year.

The investigation was handed over to the CID and a team led by superintendent of police Ravi D Channannavar, which began the investigation under the guidance of the director general of police B S Sandhu, arrested Arjun.

Police sources told The Indian Express that Arjun was arrested in Bengaluru on Wednesday night and on Thursday morning, he was produced before a court which remanded him in judicial custody as requested by the CID officials for further inquiry.

The incident reportedly happened on May 10 inside the police station and a complaint was lodged on May 22 by the victim Punith K L, a resident of Kirangunda.

According to the complaint, on the morning of May 10, Punith was picked up by the police after a few villagers submitted an oral complaint that the youth was responsible for the marital discord between a husband and his wife in the village.

After he was released from custody, Punith wrote a letter to the senior police officers and said, “When I requested for drinking water, the PSI refused and asked another person who was in the lock-up to urinate on me. Chethan, the other inmate who had been arrested for theft, initially refused but was forced to urinate on me by the police.”

Punith also alleged that the police officer made him lick the urine from the floor. Following Punith’s complaint, Chikmagalur SP Akshay Hakay Machhindra suspended Arjun and handed over the case to the CID. A case was filed under sections of the IPC related to wrongful confinement, causing hurt, torture, wrongful confinement to extort a confession, besides provisions under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

This story first appeared on indianexpress.com

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