‘Police rob political prisoner’

A Tamil political prisoner from Chavakachcheri charges he has been robbed by police who had demanded money and alcohol, radiogagana.com reports. Subramaniam Nidikesan has complained to the Jaffna Human Rights commission and police that men from Chavakachcheri police had broken open the gate and stormed his house around 11.30 pm on December 01. They had taken away a motorcycle belonging to his wife, Rs. 38,000 in cash and the family’s personal documents, he said.

Nidikesan had been permitted by Poonthottam rehabilitation camp in Vavuniya, where he is being detained under the PTA, to visit his ailing daughter. He has been threatened that he would be dealt with when he came to police to claim the motorcycle. He has told Jaffna journalists said police had wanted him to give five bottles of arrack and money, adding that he has identified one of the policemen as Jeevan Lal of the traffic division, whom he had been seen when being kept behind bars at Chavakachcheri police. Nidikesan has been sent to Poonthottam camp after being summoned to the CID in Colombo for questioning, subsequent arrest in July 2014, and being temporarily detained at the CID and the Boossa detention camp. Nidikesan added that no charges are yet to be framed against him.