TIRUCHY: Taking suo motu cognizance of media reports about alleged harassment of a woman protester inside the Special Prison for Women in Tiruchy, the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has issued notice to the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Prison Department, directing him to submit report on the allegation within six weeks.
The SHRC passed the order based on a news report published in a Chennai-based Tamil daily on May 21.
The notice dated May 22 read, “Now take notice that the matter will be listed for further consideration before this commission after six weeks. You are required to submit the report by post without fail. Take further notice in the event of any default, the commission may proceed to take action as it deems fit and proper”.
It should be pointed out that M Valarmathi (23), a college student and hailing from Chinnamanur in Salem district, who along with D Swathi was lodged at the special prison for women, Tiruchy, had made allegations that she was strip-searched by the prison authorities during her stay in the prison from April 15 to May 20 this year.
Valarmathi also alleged that the prison authorities had even denied to supply her sanitary napkins when she was menstruating.
Valarmathi made these allegations, addressing the media persons outside the prison, soon after she was let off on bail.
Valarmathi and six others, including D Swathi, were arrested by the Kulithalai police in Karur district when these seven persons had taken the Palakkad fast passenger train to reach Tiruchy to take part in the farmers’ protest at Neduvasal on April 15.
Police said that the accused had been vocal about the protests against hydrocarbon projects on the train and also interacted with fellow passengers to rope them into the protest.
Kulithalai registered a case against the accused who were identified as Valarmathi (23) of Chinnamanur in Salem district, Swathi (19) of Ponnammapettai, Deepak (22) of Tuticorin, Dinesh (25) of Ukkadam in Coimbatore, Dineshkumar (19) of Mullaivadi in Salem, Karthik (19), a corporation staff in Ukkadam in Coimbatore and Suryavarman (24) of Aravakurichi in Karuru district.