Mr. Justice A S Anand
Chairman
National Human Rights Commission
Sardar Patel Bhawan
Parliament Street
New Delhi-110001

Subject: Complaint against torture and custodial death of Gangappa, a resident of Tumarakunte in Andhra Pradesh at Patapallya police station in the Bagepalli taluk of Karnataka on 15 April 2003.

Dear Justice Anand,

I am writing to seek urgent intervention of National Human Rights Commission against the custodial death of Gangappa, a resident of Tumarakunte in Andhra Pradesh on 15 April 2003. He was picked up on 13 April 2003 by the Karnataka Police from Patapallya police station in the Bagepalli taluk of Karnataka for questioning on a cattle theft case. But his body was allegedly found near the AP border after two days of his arrest.

Gangappa's wife and members of the Dalit Sangarsh Samithi staged a dharna in front of the police station alleging that Gangappa died because of police torture.

Sources said Gangappa died in the police station on 15 April 2003 and the body was allegedly shifted to Andhra Pradesh border in the Sub-Inspector's jeep in the station premises.

I shall be grateful if the NHRC could kindly intervene against the custodial death of Gangappa by taking the following measures:

-          Direct the State governments of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh to suspend concerned police personnel and register criminal cases against the guilty police personnel for torture and custodial death of Gangappa;

-          Direct the State governments of Karnataka to provide the autopsy report which should have been conducted in full conformity with the NHRC guidelines on custodial deaths/rapes to the NHRC;

-          Direct the State governments of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh to pay an interim compensation of Rs 500,000 (five lakhs) to the victim's family and the same be recovered from the guilty police personnel;

-          Direct the Government of India to ratify the United Nations Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and

-          Take any other measures that the NHRC deems fit.

Looking forward to your kind intervention.

With kind regards,

Yours sincerely

Suhas Chakma
Director