'Amendment will turn lock-ups into killing fields'
A suggestion to let the police stations and court house lock-ups hold a person for 60 days instead of the current maximum of a month, may simply spell more deaths in custody, a coalition of lawyers said today.
A suggestion to let the police stations and court house lock-ups hold a person for 60 days instead of the current maximum of a month, may simply spell more deaths in custody, a coalition of lawyers said today.
Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) has protested against an amendment to Section 7 of the Prison Act 1995, which is seen to go with the recently amended Prevention of Crime Act 1959, which allows police to detain suspects for up to two years without trial.
"We are extremely concerned that once the authorities doubles the amount of time lawfully allocated in lock-ups, the number of police lock-up deaths and brutality will also increase as it is abundantly clear from the police's atrocious track record, that the safety and welfare of detainees are rarely concerns," said LFL campaign coordinator Michelle Yesudas in a statement.
Yesudas (left in pic) said that the temporary nature of the police lock-ups can easily turn them into "killing fields for suspects."
The Home Ministry previously told Parliament that from 2011 to June 2013 this year, 48 detainees died in police custody.
"The names N Dhamendran, A Kugan and Karuna Nithi are not alien to us and their short, brutal, fatal, time spent in the police lock-up cannot be forgotten," Yesudas said.
Section 7 of the Prison Act currently only allows detention in police station and court house lock-ups for a period that does not exceed one month.
This is to reflect their temporary nature and its lack of facilities, as the lock-ups are crafted to contain individuals who are awaiting trial or for police investigation.
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