|
To-day [23-01-2004] earlier morning and yesterday mid night, TN police has
raided slam areas in and around Tirupur, a hosiery town in Coimbatore, Tamil
Nadu, India. Police has knocked the doors and entered into the houses and taken
away nearly 420 men and kept under custody in 50 marriage halls in Tirpur.
Police sources said that 420 men were arrested. The officers say their aim was
to pre-empt crime on Amavasai [new moon day]. The men were detained in 50
marriage halls. The police have already released some, after fingerprinting them
and recording other body marks. The rest will be set free after similar
exercises.
It is said that the police asked no questions, nor volunteered any explanation
while raid.
Mrs. Seetha, who lives in Moscow Nagar, said her family was sleeping when they
heard someone trying to break open the door. ''When we opened the door, there
were policemen with guns outside. They took my husband and left,'' she said. The
story was typical. Police took into custody more than 50 men from this colony of
labourers from the southern districts. None of the women had any idea why their
men were being arrested. When the policemen did not find men, they abused the
women before leaving.
Police also arrested some workers who returned home after midnight, again
without giving any explanations. The women waited outside police stations, and
then outside the marriage halls where their husbands and fathers were being
detained. As Pandian Nagar residents complained, they got no answers.
It was a well-planned operation, for which the police had rehearsed for days.
Top police officers in the district, including IGP (Western Zone) Narinder Pal
Singh and Rural SP R Dhinakaran, said to newsmen that there were ''no excesses''
and it was only part of anti-dacoity beats conducted in connection with 'dark
night' or 'Amavasai'. Police officials said such exercises put the fear of the
law in criminals and boost public confidence in police.
Police higher official said Tirupur is one of the most crime-prone sub-divisions
of the district. The operation was conducted in a systematic way and human
considerations were taken into account. Policewomen accompanied every squad that
searched the homes of the suspects. The arrested men were taken into preventive
custody under IPC 41 (2) in random searches in the 'grey' areas marked by
intelligence sources. Their fingerprints and body marks will be compared with
existing data on criminals.
Eventhough Police have arrested an ex-convict, Kannapan, this type of action
will create unnecessary problems and rumours among the citizens. In future, in
the name of mass raid continues, the general public will not tolerate and they
will be in fear.
MANITHAM is condemning such acts of police.
|
