THRISSUR: The surfacing of CCTV footage allegedly showing custodial torture at the Peechi police station in Thrissur has ignited another wave of public outrage in Kerala, coming close on the heels of a similar incident at the Kunnamkulam police station. The video was released by K.P. Ouseph, the proprietor of Lalees Food and Fun Hotel in Pattikkad, who obtained it after a legal struggle spanning one and a half years.
The development follows a recent and highly publicized case where CCTV visuals from the Kunnamkulam police station revealed the brutal assault on V.S. Sujith, a Youth Congress leader, in April 2023. Sujith had also secured the footage through a prolonged legal battle, utilizing the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
According to a report from Manorama Online, the Peechi incident involved police misconduct following a complaint related to Ouseph’s business. When Ouseph’s son, Paul Joseph, arrived at the station upon hearing of the issue, he was allegedly locked up by the SHO. The family claims the police then tried to extort a settlement.
While specific details of the torture in the Peechi footage are not yet widely available in English-language reports, the fact that a State Information Commission directive in August 2024 forced the police to provide the CCTV visuals suggests that the footage indeed revealed the assault. The commission’s ruling, which noted that a then-Peechi SHO had beaten up two of the accused inside the station, prompted the police department to issue an internal advisory, acknowledging that such visuals obtained through RTI could be used against the force.
The twin cases have intensified the debate over police brutality in Kerala, with political parties and human rights activists demanding accountability. In the Kunnamkulam case, four police officers—Sub-Inspector Nuhman, Senior Civil Police Officer Sasidharan, and Civil Police Officers Sandeep and Sajeevan—were suspended, and a magistrate court initiated a legal inquiry.
However, the Congress party has criticized the government’s response as inadequate, demanding the immediate dismissal of the officers. Opposition Leader V.D. Satheesan and KPCC President Sunny Joseph have called for stricter action, with Joseph stating that officers who engage in such brutality are “unfit to remain in service.”
The fact that both the Kunnamkulam and Peechi cases required a lengthy legal fight to obtain evidence under the RTI Act highlights a systemic issue of lack of transparency and accountability within the police force.
These incidents underscore the need for stronger oversight mechanisms, such as the State Security Commission, which has been non-functional for over a decade despite being a statutory body to oversee police accountability.
