‘Police brutality’ in Dawki: Complaint filed with MHRC

SHILLONG, June 13: A formal complaint has been lodged with the Meghalaya Human Rights Commission (MHRC) against the Officer-in-Charge and police personnel of Dawki Police Station, accusing them of tying a 65-year-old man to a pole and setting dogs on him.
According to the complaint filed by Advocate Enlang Sawian, the incident occurred when one Sonil Suting, a resident of Pyrdiwah village, Dawki, was stranded at Lad Darrang village due to a vehicle breakdown. While his friends went to find a mechanic, Suting remained with the vehicle.
In a video circulated by news channels, Suting recounted the alleged torture he endured at the hands of the Dawki police. The letter to the MHRC Chairperson describes how the police arrived at the scene and, suspecting Suting to be an illegal intruder from Bangladesh based on his appearance, demanded identification.
Despite showing his Aadhaar card and voter ID, Suting was taken to the Dawki Police Station.
At the police station, Suting claims he was tied to a pole with a dog chain belt and attacked by two dogs under the orders of the Officer-in-Charge. He sustained injuries from the bites and was left unattended despite his cries for help. “After the attack, the police personnel, reportedly inebriated, dropped Suting near his village around 3 am, threatening him not to disclose the incident or face dire consequences,” Sawian stated.
Suting had to reportedly crawl back to his village due to his severe injuries.
Advocate Sawian condemned the incident as a grave violation of human rights and natural justice.
UDP condemns incident
The UDP Pynursla Circle has, meanwhile, expressed deep concern over the shocking incident. “How can those expected to uphold the law commit such acts? We demand immediate action against the responsible police personnel,” said UDP Pynursla secretary, Hame Khongsit.