Police officers booked for assault, torture of Dalit woman in Shadnagar

HYDERABAD: A case has been registered against four police officers in Shadnagar for allegedly assaulting a woman in custody. The incident occurred after the woman and her husband were taken into custody in connection with the theft of gold and cash from a neighbour's house.

The victim, Sunitha, alleged that Detective Sub-Inspector Ramireddy and three constables subjected her to physical and mental torture while she was in custody. She claimed they demanded that she confess to the theft, and when she refused, they stripped her naked, beat her with batons and rubber belts, and even placed rods between her legs, stomping on them with their boots. Sunitha also alleged that the officers threatened to douse her, her husband, and her son in petrol and set them on fire if she spoke out about the ordeal.

Sunitha's son, a ninth-grade student, was also brought to the police station and forced to witness his mother's torture. He was reportedly beaten on his feet with a rubber belt. Sunitha said that she was so severely injured that she fainted, and the police made her son sign a blank sheet of paper before sending them home in the complainant's car.

The woman and her son were unable to leave their home for a week due to the injuries they sustained. They also alleged that the police threatened them with dire consequences if they reported the incident. Sunitha made a statement to the media, detailing the abuse she endured and pleading for justice.

The accused officers were suspended by higher authorities. The case was registered based on the victim's complaint, and an investigation is underway.