SHRC to take up cop torture of kuravas

Chennai/Madurai: Member of the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) K Baskaran termed the alleged detention and torture of 14 members of the kurava community (gypsies) by the Kanyakumari police a brutal act. He told TOI that he was extremely shocked by the incident that was reported in the media on Thursday.
While condemning the torture unleashed on the kuravas, that included four women and five minors, during their illegal detention for 63 days, Baskaran said the SHRC would take up the issue suo moto and issue notices to the police officials concerned seeking their explanations.
Activists say incidents of kuravas being illegally detained and tortured are not infrequent in the state. The Kanyakumari episode is just one such example. In Madurai too, such incidents used to be frequent until a few years ago. It is because the police have a tendency of stereotyping the community, which was once a notified tribe under Criminal Tribes Act of 1871.
The activists say the efforts of human rights activists in taking up the atrocities against the community with the higher police authorities and organising the community people have helped in curbing atrocities against them in Madurai. The activists admit that still a small number of gypsies are involved in theft incidents. But the entire community should not be treated as criminals, nor the families of the accused harassed.
They say the onus is on the government to pay special attention to the community and uplift them by providing education and employment. Executive director of People's Watch Henri Tiphagne says gypsies are targeted by the police as they are easy victims. They are often picked up and false cases foisted on them.
He said they have brought the Kanyakumari incident to the notice of the National Human Rights Commission. They have also sent formal complaints to the government of Tamil Nadu. The victims will be produced before a magistrate and made to explain the tortures they underwent when a habeas corpus petition filed recently comes up for hearing.
S Thanaraj, a Madurai based tribal activist, says a large number of kuravas live in Trichy, Perambalur, Ariyalur and Villupuram districts.