A group of Chennai sanitation workers have moved the Madras High Court, seeking intervention from the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) into an alleged incident of police misconduct. The petition requests an investigation into events that unfolded on August 13, when police forcibly removed protestors from the Ripon Building.
The workers have accused the police of using excessive force, including instances of physical and sexual abuse during detainment.
In a writ petition filed before a bench of Chief Justice MM Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan, twelve sanitation workers have alleged that police officers not only applied undue force but also engaged in inappropriate and abusive behaviour, particularly toward female workers. They allege instances of sexual harassment, including one where an officer intentionally stood on a worker's saree while she was being pushed into a police vehicle, causing it to fall off completely.
The petitioners are asking the State Commission for Women to form a committee to investigate these allegations of sexual harassment. They have also demanded action against the accused officers and call for the creation of designated protest areas in the city. The petition urges the Home Secretary to take appropriate action and enforce a protest policy.
The petitioners also accuse the police of engaging in "premeditated physical, verbal, and sexual assault" against workers who were identified by authorities for giving interviews to the media.
The petition further alleges that some workers, injured during the arrests, were denied proper medical attention until they called out for help. Additionally, they accuse the police of failing to provide basic facilities, such as access to toilets, forcing workers to relieve themselves in public, which the petitioners argue was a violation of their dignity.
Further accusations in the petition include the police acting in plainclothes without name badges and detaining the workers for over an hour without informing their families. The petition also argues that there was no immediate threat to public order, and thus, no justification for the police’s actions, which the petitioners believe violated their fundamental right to life as guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.
The petition also highlights that the police did not adhere to protocols established by the Deputy General of Police regarding the arrest of women, in violation of a Madras High Court order.