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HIV man made to run naked: The Pioneer
New Delhi, Jan 19: An HIV positive man was beaten up by Delhi Police cops and made to run naked in a freezing January night in the Neb Sarai locality of the Capital recently.
New Delhi, Jan 19: An HIV positive man was beaten up by Delhi Police cops and made to run naked in a freezing January night in the Neb Sarai locality of the Capital recently.
Forty-year-old Puia Sailo, who hails from Manipur and has been HIV positive for over a decade, has been hospitalised after the traumatic experience. "There was no fracture, but his left leg, arm and eyes were swollen," said Dr Deep Gupta, who is treating him at the Sahara Clinic. "And, he was running high fever when admitted," he added.
For Puia though, the injury is more mental than physical. "It was very humiliating," he said from his hospital bed. Recalling the fateful January 10 night, he said: "I didn't know why those four cops beat and made me run naked in the night."
Puia was sleeping under a vacant shed near the Sahara Michael's Care Home at Neb Sarai, run by an NGO working for the welfare of AIDS patients. Earlier, Puia used to work in the clinic as caretaker. At 11 pm, four policemen on night patrol woke him up and started questioning him. "I don't understand Hindi, so I let them do their work," said Puia. "I told them I'm HIV positive and worked with Sahara, but they did not listen to me and beat me up," said Puia. And just when he thought the worst was over, one of the cops asked Punia to strip. "Despite my pleas they made me take off everything, even my underwear," Punia recalled.
And as Punia stood shivering and naked before the cops, "they touched my private parts with their batons," says Punia. Finally, they told him to run. Punia started running towards the clinic while the cops chased him on their bikes.
Clinic wathcman Ram Murth confirmed the incident: "He came running to the clinic and asked me for clothes. It was way beyond 11.30 pm, when the gate is locked daily. So, I didn't allow him to come in and just gave him a T-shirt and told the policemen that he used to work with us," said Ram Murth who has been working in the clinic for the past six years.
After getting clothes from the watchman, the cops told him to run back naked and collect his own clothes from the shed. "I ran back, picked up my trousers and jumped the wall for safety," Puia said. Shivering, and with a raging fever, the hapless man spent the night in a nearby park.
Early next morning, Puia narrated the incident to his friends who took him to the Sahara office in Greater Kailash, from where he was taken back to Neb Sarai and admitted to the clinic for immediate treatment.
"It's complete madness. He was suffering from high fever and had to be hospitalised," said Nevelle Selhore, Director, Sahara.
When contacted, the Neb Sarai police duty officer Uganthi had this to say: "Ab jis tarah se aap baat kar rahe ho, unhono bhi aise hi ki hogi. Isi per pitai kar di hogi."
Mehrauli SHO M L Sharma said: "I am unaware of any such incident."
However, DCP South P Kamraj said he "will look into the issue."
Puia's is not an isolated incident of police atrocity. Five days after Puia, the local policemen beat up Angam and Mughato, two employees of the NGO, Sahara. The incident took place in the marketplace in broad daylight.
"The cops came and beat us up without any provocation," Angam said.
"We think there is a link between the two incidents. We have filed a complaint with the Public Grievances Cell of Delhi Police," Mr Selhore said.
"We have complained so that they identify and punish the culprits," Sahara advocate Sunil Batra said, adding: "If no action is taken, we will move court."
For Puia though, the injury is more mental than physical. "It was very humiliating," he said from his hospital bed. Recalling the fateful January 10 night, he said: "I didn't know why those four cops beat and made me run naked in the night."
Puia was sleeping under a vacant shed near the Sahara Michael's Care Home at Neb Sarai, run by an NGO working for the welfare of AIDS patients. Earlier, Puia used to work in the clinic as caretaker. At 11 pm, four policemen on night patrol woke him up and started questioning him. "I don't understand Hindi, so I let them do their work," said Puia. "I told them I'm HIV positive and worked with Sahara, but they did not listen to me and beat me up," said Puia. And just when he thought the worst was over, one of the cops asked Punia to strip. "Despite my pleas they made me take off everything, even my underwear," Punia recalled.
And as Punia stood shivering and naked before the cops, "they touched my private parts with their batons," says Punia. Finally, they told him to run. Punia started running towards the clinic while the cops chased him on their bikes.
Clinic wathcman Ram Murth confirmed the incident: "He came running to the clinic and asked me for clothes. It was way beyond 11.30 pm, when the gate is locked daily. So, I didn't allow him to come in and just gave him a T-shirt and told the policemen that he used to work with us," said Ram Murth who has been working in the clinic for the past six years.
After getting clothes from the watchman, the cops told him to run back naked and collect his own clothes from the shed. "I ran back, picked up my trousers and jumped the wall for safety," Puia said. Shivering, and with a raging fever, the hapless man spent the night in a nearby park.
Early next morning, Puia narrated the incident to his friends who took him to the Sahara office in Greater Kailash, from where he was taken back to Neb Sarai and admitted to the clinic for immediate treatment.
"It's complete madness. He was suffering from high fever and had to be hospitalised," said Nevelle Selhore, Director, Sahara.
When contacted, the Neb Sarai police duty officer Uganthi had this to say: "Ab jis tarah se aap baat kar rahe ho, unhono bhi aise hi ki hogi. Isi per pitai kar di hogi."
Mehrauli SHO M L Sharma said: "I am unaware of any such incident."
However, DCP South P Kamraj said he "will look into the issue."
Puia's is not an isolated incident of police atrocity. Five days after Puia, the local policemen beat up Angam and Mughato, two employees of the NGO, Sahara. The incident took place in the marketplace in broad daylight.
"The cops came and beat us up without any provocation," Angam said.
"We think there is a link between the two incidents. We have filed a complaint with the Public Grievances Cell of Delhi Police," Mr Selhore said.
"We have complained so that they identify and punish the culprits," Sahara advocate Sunil Batra said, adding: "If no action is taken, we will move court."