NEPAL: Police torture youths and parade them in the market

Dear Friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) would like to inform you that three police officers attached to Area Police Office Surkhet District have tortured two youth, aged 15 and 19. Following the torture, the policemen garlanded the young man and the juvenile with shoes and slippers and paraded them in the market. After the incident came to light, the police offered expenses for medical treatment. However, the victims and their families want to register a case against the officers involved, but the police have been buying time. This is an example of the police resorting to torture in routine, and practicing an ancient method of crime punishment, used by authoritarian rulers to show the ramifications of opposing them or the society. It also exposes ancient-brutal like status of criminal justice institutions in Nepal.

CASE DETAILS: 

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that police officers based in Guthu of Surkhet District (Head Constable Kamal B.K., who is Acting In-charge of Police Post, and Police Constables Arjun Chand and Pradip Khadka) mercilessly tortured and paraded two juveniles, Krishna Bahadur Thapa, 19, of Birendranagar, and Pravesh Sunar, 15, of Guthu, in the local market, having garlanded them with shoes and slippers. 

Following arrest Krishna and Pravesh were paraded around the local market for an hour after they were made to wear garlands of shoes and slippers and had soot smeared to blacken their faces. The police arrested the duo on the charge of beating another local youth. 

This arrest followed a dispute against Mangal Joshi and Dipendra Rokaya in the market on 25 April 2016. The police arrested Krishna on the same day, while Ran Bahadur Sunar, Pravesh’s father, handed over his son to the police at the Police Station. Not only this, when Pravesh’s father Ran Bahadur Sunar asked the police not to thrash his son with batons, boots and fists, he was also beaten by the police. When locals tried to intervene, the police threatened them to stay away, and told the public not to take any photographs and videos of the accused being paraded around the market with garlands of shoes and slippers.

The incident came into public on Tuesday only, 10 May 2016, after the families of the accused juveniles informed the media about the police torture and about being paraded in the market. The police reportedly threatened to kill the locals if they would make the incident public.

Following the incident, Pravesh has become mentally disturbed, and has stopped going to his school after the incident. On the other hand, the District Police Office (DPO), Surkhet, has refused to register complaints when the victims’ parents, who tried to lodge complaints against the police on April 28. Instead, the police told victims and their families to come settle the issues, and that the police are ready to provide medical treatment.

The police have not registered their complaints yet. But the police have recalled three police officers involved in the incident, for investigation and further action. The police have claimed that the police officers thrashed the arrested youth, Krishna and Pravesh, after they tried to flee from custody. 

The victims’ families have demanded proper treatment of their children and action against the concerned police officers for their involvement in torture, and for forcing them to wear garlands of shoes while being paraded around the market place against the basic rule of law.

The police must immediately suspend the alleged police officers involved, and initiate action against them after due process of investigation into police torture. Though the police have agreed to cover medical expenses, a psychologist must attend to the torture victims, as they are embarrassed and isolated due to the incident. On top of it, the torture victims must be provided compensation as per Torture Compensation Act (TCA).

SUGGESTED ACTION: 

The victims were tortured openly in a public place by police officers, and were then paraded in the open market, which is a practice similar to ancient times. Such a practice of shaming must not be allowed in a modern society that is supposed to run as per the rule of law and by respecting people’s basic human rights.

Please write letters to the following authorities calling on them to take the necessary action against the police officers involved in this case.

The AHRC is writing a separate letter to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, for its intervention into this matter.

To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER