NHRC issues notice to UP Govt over torture of a woman by police in district Lalitpur

New Delhi, May 7, 2022, (LAB) The National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, India has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report that the police personnel of Mehrauli Police Station subjected a woman to extreme torture by stripping her and brutally beating with a belt in Lalitpur District of Uttar Pradesh. Reportedly, she was working as a domestic help at the residence of a police officer on the allegations of a theft in the house.

The Commission has issued notices to the Chief Secretary and the Director-General of Police, Uttar Pradesh calling for a detailed report on the matter within four weeks including action against the responsible police officer and any relief granted to the victim by the authorities.

The Commission observed that the contents of the media reports if true raise a serious issue of violation of the human rights of the victim. The Police Officer and his family have not only misused their position but also subjected the victim to physical torture and cruelty.

According to the media report, carried out on May 6, 2022, the wife of the police officer locked the victim at her home on the evening of May 2, 2022. Her husband, a police official, came along with a lady Inspector and started interrogating her about a theft in the house. Besides beating her brutally, they also subjected her to water cannon and electric shocks to force her to accept the allegations. Later, sensing that the matter may snowball into a controversy, she was called to the Mehrauli police station where the police personnel tried to project the matter as a dispute with her husband and also initiated action against him for disturbing the peace./LAB/SNG/