Judge, jury and torturer: A flagrant case of police highhandedness in A.P.’s Tenali Premium

Tenali, Andhra Paris, faces police brutality, sparking outrage and calls for justice in the community.

Guntur district’s Tenali is often called the ‘Andhra Paris’, perhaps because of the presence of three canals of the Krishna river flowing through it, much like how three canals pass through Paris. Recently, however, this fabled Andhra heartland hit the headlines for a different reason altogether: a flagrant case of police highhandedness.

On May 26, Andhra Pradesh woke up to a viral video of two police personnel caning three youth in full public view. The disturbing video shows the youth — Doma Rakesh, Chebrolu John Victor (both 25 years old) and 22-year-old Shaik Karimulla — being made to sit on the road with their legs extended, while the officers caned them hard on their soles. One of them pinned Rakesh’s legs to the ground to ensure that he cannot move or shield himself while lashes rained on his soles. According to Rakesh’s family, he had a steel rod implanted in his leg after a fracture a few years ago.

The three men were arrested on April 24 following a complaint lodged by constable Kanna Chiranjeevi of One Town police station, who accused the three and one of their friends, Vemu Naveen alias Killer, of assaulting him under the influence of ganja while he was on duty and attempting to murder him with a knife.

Of the four accused, Naveen is reportedly on the run, and the remaining three were subjected to public humiliation and beating. The police action of resorting to physical violence in public reportedly to “teach them a lesson”, instead of following established legal procedures, has drawn widespread criticism.

Rights activists have condemned the incident, with bar associations and a few other organisations staging protests, demanding stringent action against the police personnel involved. “What happened in Tenali is totally unwarranted and illegal. The police should act in accordance with the rule of law,” said Justice B. Chandra Kumar, retired Judge of the High Court of the undivided Andhra Pradesh.

Citing the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which provides the guidelines for the investigation of crime, apprehension of the accused, collection of evidence, determination of guilt and punishment of the guilty, he said nobody should take the law into their hands. “Even under the British and the Nizam, there was a procedure to be followed. If the police are allowed to take law into their hands, then there will be no limit to it. The law should also apply to them, and those resorting to such acts are liable for punishment,” he said.

Leaders of marginalised communities and the Opposition YSRCP also condemned what they termed as the “law of jungle”, saying that Dalits have perennially been at the receiving end of torture and public humiliation.