Is There Any Salve In Sight?

Says truck driver Gaffar Bhai, one of the victims: "First we were stripped of our clothes. Then some eight or nine cops started beating us up. When one of us asked what our crime was, the cops got even angrier and beat us some more. Then Rao saheb came and threatened us with the balm. Before we knew it, we were screaming in agony as the balm was rubbed violently into our eyes."

Over the past fortnight, the Rajkot Police reportedly put Tiger Balm, a strong headache reliever, into the eyes of seven persons during interrogation. And as the victims receive medical treatment at the G.T. Sheth Hospital, it is almost certain that though most of them will probably recover their sight to an extent, they will suffer chronic eye problems for years.

The first victim, Shankarprasad Guruprasad, who was in judicial custody on charges of trading in narcotics (marijuana), was brought to Dr Rekha Ghusalia, chief of the hospital’s ophthalmology wing, on January 27. Says she: "When he told me that the cops had put some balm in his eyes, I didn’t believe him at first. I have had several cases of the accused trying to injure themselves to get out of jail or workers chopping off their fingers and complaining of torture." That something was up became evident soon enough when five victims picked up for playing cards by the roadside were sent to Ghusalia with similar complaints. By February 10, the toll had gone up to seven.

Ghusalia explains that the main ingredient in Tiger Balm, normally used to relieve   headaches, is capsicum-raisin extract which is very acidic. When applied to the eyes, it leads to injury to the cornea. Even after treatment, the victims’ eyes will be susceptible to watering and photophobia.

Ironically, the seven victims were picked up on relatively innocuous charges like theft, possession of marijuana and gambling and did not warrant such third degree torture to extract confessions. Admits Sub-Divisional Magistrate Kalpana Ben Mehta, who is conducting an inquiry into the incident: "None of the crimes was severe enough for such barbaric methods adopted by the city cops."

And as local leaders try to extract political mileage out of the torture, the state government has taken the case off theRajkot Police and transferred the investigations to Ahmedabad’s Inspector General of Police (Crime) Gurudayal Singh. Moreover, Minister of State for Home Vipul Chaudhry has ordered the suspension of nine policemen, hinting that more heads could roll.  "We will not spare any individual, however high-ranking he may be," declared Chaudhry.

One of the senior officials whose name is being mentioned is D C P Rao. The officer is, however, emphatic that he was not party to the "balm treatment". Says he: "I’ve nothing to fear from the inquiry. As far as I know, I had nothing to do with this. I’m totally innocent. My conscience is very clear. "

Indeed, it is strange that none of the victims mentioned Rao when they first came to the clinic. Says Ghusalia: "I even checked up with them as to who was responsible. They kept on repeating, ‘the police’. It was only from the next day when the media swooped on them that Rao’s name came into the picture."

While the victims claim that fear of retaliation prevented them from revealing the names earlier, local newspapers have been carrying reports of an impending arrest.

Alleging a conspiracy, Rao says: "The sustained media campaign against me personally is proof enough of forces other than the obvious ones in play." In fact, Commissioner of Rajkot Police P.I. Jani confirms that the city police is prone to factional politics, saying: "It is a fact that during my predecessor’s regime, the entire police force of Rajkot was divided into two factions due to reported acrimony between two senior officers."

INCIDENTALLY, Jani and Rao took charge in Rajkot just a couple of months ago. Their predecessors, Chittaranjan Singh and Sanjeev Bhatt, respectively, were transferred out after reports of highhandedness in a much publicised land deal. However, both have ignored their transfer orders and proceeded on leave. Says a local crime reporter: "Bhatt is very much ensconced in Rajkot, playing his own games to be reinstated. He has much at stake here."

Sources in the police department told Outlook that Bhatt carries considerable clout in the Home Ministry and that he is desperate to be posted back to Rajkot. "The strategy is clear. Once Rao is transferred from Rajkot, it will be easy for him to revoke his transfer orders," says a police official. Neither Bhatt nor Singh was, however, available for comment. But the fact that none of the nine policemen, whose arrest was ordered, have yet been apprehended is being offered as proof of the conspiracy theory.

However, police politics notwithstanding, there is no gainsaying that policemen under D C P Rao did indulge in inhuman torture methods. Says Jani: "Since Rajkot does not have severe crimes like murder, rape, gang wars, etc, it is not unusual for senior officers to involve themselves with gambling, prohibition and housebreaking crime inquiries. However, in my entire career I  have not heard of such torture methods."

Both Rao and Jani are trying to put up a brave front against the impending inquiries and potential conspiracies. "Transfers in a police job are a normal thing," says Jani philosophically. However, it is the fate of the seven young victims of police brutality that highlights the stark injustice of the system. And, of course, the dark days ahead for the victims.