NEW DELHI: A grave controversy has broken out following a public statement by the Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) accusing the Delhi Police Special Cell of unlawful detention and torture of a number of student and social activists. These charges have emerged in relation to the ongoing probe into the disappearance of Vallika Varshri, who serves on the editorial board of ‘Nazariya’ magazine.
The CASR, in its July 24 statement, asserts that the activists of the Bhagat Singh Chhatra Ekta Manch (BSCEM)—Gurkirat, Gaurav, and Gaurang—were separately picked up on July 9. Two additional activists belonging to the Forum Against Corporatisation and Militarisation (FACAM), Ehtemam-Ul Haque and Baadal, were allegedly picked up on July 11. Another activist, Samrat Singh, was reportedly picked up from his residence in Haryana on July 12, while student activist Rudra was allegedly picked up on July 19 and released after two days.
Based on CASR, such persons were illegally detained without due process or formal arrest at the CV Raman Marg premises of the Delhi Police Special Cell. The group asserts that detainees were physically assaulted, verbally abused, and seriously mentally harassed. Others reported threats of sexual violence, Islamophobic abuse, and humiliating treatment, including electrocution and stripping.
The statement says the actions defied a number of legal protections, which include Article 22 of the Constitution and guidelines set by the Supreme Court in the D.K. Basu case. CASR demands that these actions be tantamount to serious offences under a number of Indian laws. In rebuttal, top Delhi Police officers flatly denied the allegations that people were only interrogated in a missing persons’ case and let off shortly afterwards. They underscored the fact that everything was done in accordance with the law and that the investigation is ongoing..