Three men, all Indian Nationals in Singapore, have filed a formal complaint of police abuse subsequent to mass arrests following the riots in Singapore’s Little India district which took place on 8 December 2013.
The young men, 2 of whom were working in Singapore, and a 3rd who is an IT Project Manager who was visiting Singapore as a tourist, were accused of rioting and rounded up as suspects following the island nation’s first acts of rioting in more than 40 years.
Upon being taken into police custody, the accused individuals found themselves subject to racial slurs, threats that they would be put to death and physical violence at the hands of police officers.
Earlier on last year on 28th December, Mr Arun spoke to the press outside of the subordinate court after he posted bail. He said that he was assaulted during the lock up because he refused to plead guilty.
In their complaint (attached with this article), Mr Arun Kaliamurthy, Mr Rajendran Mohan and Mr Ravi Arun Vengatesh have urged the Internal Affairs division of the Singapore Police Force (SPF) to open an investigation into abuse and physical assault by SPF personnel following the Little India Riots.
The complaint contains details of the circumstances of how they were arrested by the police and how the 3 men have been allegedly mistreated during the course of police interrogation.
Part of the complaint writes:
“At this point, Rajendran was asked to admit to his involvement in the riots. When he refused to admit to something he had not done, the IO (Investigation Officer) inflicted a backhanded punch on him in the stomach. He was then told that if he chose not to admit to his involvement at this stage, the punishment he would recieve would be a lot more severe. Following this denial, the IO then poured a bottle of cold water over him and lowered the temperature in the room. The IO also used the bottle to whack him on the head, albeit not viciously.”
The Law firm of M Ravi has shared that the Internal Affairs Office of the Singapore Police Force has initiated investigation into the complaint filed on behalf of their clients today. (Attached PDF)
Update with response from the police based on newspaper reports:
The police said it takes “a serious view” of all complaints made and will investigate all complaints thoroughly.
“If criminal offences are disclosed, the police will not hesitate to bring criminal charges against the errant officer.
However, if the allegations are found to be false, appropriate action in accordance with our laws will be taken against any persons who furnish false information to the police,” a spokesperson said.
Under the Penal Code, those who are found guilty of providing false information to a public servant could be jailed up to a year and fined up to S$5,000.
