The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Chitra Publications director approaches NCW

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 25, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Chitra Publications director approaches NCW

Staff Reporter

`The police action was mala fide and without the sanction of the law'

BANGALORE: Rohini S., director of the Mangalore-based Chitra Publications, has approached the National Commission for Women (NCW) alleging that her human rights has been violated and accusing the Dakshina Kannada and Shimoga district police officials of abuse of power.

In a letter to the NCW chairperson and members of the commission, Ms. Rohini said she was arrested twice in a week and illegally detained for over 10 days in jails in Mangalore and Shimoga.

The arrests were reportedly based on complaints about an article published in journals brought out by Chitra Publications.

`Action was mala fide'

"I am not the editor, printer, publisher of the newspapers, but am only a director on the management board. The police action was, therefore, mala fide and without the sanction of the law," she said.

Despite the Supreme Court guidelines prohibiting the arrest of a woman after sunset and before sunrise, the police arrested her after sunset. "The police were obviously acting at the behest of some vested interest to ruin us," she charged.

Picked up at midnight

She said she was first picked up by the Panambur police in Mangalore on the midnight of March 3. She was kept behind bards for the next four days before the local court enlarged her on bail on March 8.

"After my release, even before I could speak to my waiting children and other family members near the jail gate, the Shimoga district police inspector, Mr. Balraj, and his team practically dragged me into the waiting van (it was 6.45 p.m.) and took me to Sagar police station," she said.

By then, she had been on a 30-hour fast inside the jail protesting against what she said was the "inhuman" manner in which the police treated her.

"Because of weakness, I was feeling restless. I am also a low BP patient and have respiratory problems. Only after the inspector was told that he would not carry me alive to Sagar, did he take me to a dispensary at Mulki and proceeded to Sagar in the night. It was well past midnight when we reached Sagar," she said.

Thorough probe sought

Ms. Rohini wanted the NCW to thoroughly investigate why a housewife and mother of two children was arrested at midnight and kept in custody for charges which she was totally unconnected with.

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