Fatehpura rioting accused allege custodial torture

VADODARA: Some of the persons, who were picked up for their suspected role in desecrating a temple idol and rioting in Fatehpura, have alleged that they were subjected to custodial torture by the police.
Two persons arrested in connection with the Fatehpura riots had complained in the court on June 12 that they were beaten up in the custody. The accused Jagdish Panchal and Hitesh Rana made the complaint when they were produced before the court.Panchal, whose house was set ablaze in the riots, alleged that the police forced him to accept that he burnt his own house. The court sent the accused to SSG Hospital for medical treatment.
Thakor Rana, a BJP worker and resident of Fatehpura too alleged that he was picked up by the police and beaten up in custody. "The police thrashed me and accused that I was involved in the violence that happened during the riots. I was picked up just because my house is exactly behind the house that was set on fire. I was let off after a few hours," Rana claimed. Family members of the priest who looks after the temple, whose idol was damaged, too accused the police of forcing him to admit that he did the act.
Four days ago, Deepak More, who was arrested in connection with the riots, also informed the court that he was beaten up by the police. More is a member of the trust that manages the temple and the police claimed that he was a part of a meeting wherein some people conspired to create trouble in Fatehpura. "The police is beating up the locals as it hasn't been able to find the real culprits who damaged the temple idol. Or it seems that they don't want to find the real culprits and hence they are forcing those arrested to confess that they damaged the idol," said advocate Niraj Jail, who represented More, Panchal and Rana.
The police, however, refused any excesses on their part. "Why would the police force the accused to confess as confessions made before the cops don't stand as evidence in the court? We are just trying to track down the culprits behind the incident," said city police commissioner E Radhakrishana.