Bangalore:
A 35-year-old woman, picked up by the police recently for allegedly receiving stolen articles, now fears even the slightest sound of footsteps.
The city police allegedly tortured Kasthuri Vijaya Kumar by subjecting her to electric shock, while her 13-year-old son, Ajith, heard his mother scream with pain.
Her neighbours on Tannery Road approached human rights activists and a case has been taken up and forwarded to the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC).
The woman, a domestic help, now shivers with fear on seeing a stranger and falls unconscious after claiming innocence.
Recalling the dreaded day, Ajith said that his mother had never reacted like this.
"Around 3 pm on Monday, three men knocked at our door and asked my mother to accompany them. They were in civil clothes and when inquired, they said they had some work for my mother at Zakhir's house. I accompanied her, and we went with the men. After crossing the road, near Vijayalakshmi Hotel, they put us inside an Omni van and locked it and drove us to Kothanur police station," he said.
Kasthuri was allegedly taken to a room while Ajith remained in the car. "I heard my mother scream and on inquiring, the men seated around dismissed it as nothing serious. I heard my mother claiming innocence. They kept us till 8 pm and then dropped us back at our house. I do not know why my mother was picked up," the boy, who also looked shocked, said. Kasthuri maintains the BBMP park on Tannery Road and resides in a shed nearby with her ailing husband and two sons. She is the only bread winner of the family. She was also a part-time sweeper in the neighborhood.
However, after the police picked her up, she has lost control over her mind. Prakash Kariappa co-coordinator of SICHREM, an NGO, said, "Kasthuri was picked up following a theft case after one of the locals, Veera, was taken into custody. She has been tortured by being sujected to electric shocks on different parts of her body. We are referring her to a senior doctor in Victoria Hospital for her treatment and have filed a complaint with the SHRC. Finding their neighbor in an unusual state, the locals approached the human rights activists for rescue."
Kothanur police agreed that they picked up the woman for inquiry but denied subjecting her to any electric shock.
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