CHENNAI: The State Human Rights Commission (
SHRC
) has asked the state government to pay Rs 1 lakh to a businessman and his brother for violation of their human rights by a police officer. It also asked the authorities to initiate disciplinary action against another officer for misusing his official powers.
Vinoth Kannappan
told the commission he had an import and export business in Ooty . C Rajadurai, an inspector of police, came to his residence and introduced himself as a CB-CID officer on July 29, 2007. Threatening to arrest Kannappan, the inspector said he owed `90 lakh to a certain Madhan Mohan.
He forced Kannappan to sign on four blank promisso ry notes and took five cheques, each for `15 lakh, drawn on the SBI branch at Udhagamandalam.
In his second complaint, Kannappan said police inspector M Kamalakannan arrested him and his brother on April 6, 2008. They were ta ken to Chennai and kept in custody for around three da ys. The inspector threatened them, insisting that they settle the matter with Mad han Mohan. Kannappan agreed to pay `45 lakh as full settlement. He paid `10 lakh to Mohan's agent.
Denying the argument Rajadurai said Madhan Mo han was his friend, and he had accompanied Mohan to Ooty . At Kannappan's resi dence, Mohan requested him to sign as a witness on a rece ipt executed by them. He sig ned without reading the con tents of the document. In his counter, Kamalakannan said Mohan had registered a case against Kannappan for criminal breach of trust. So Rajadurai brought Kannappan to Chennai for investigation.
Subsequently, Mohan withdrew the case and he did not know what had transpired between Kannappan and Mohan.
The commission, comprising member K Baskaran, said the inspector had impersonated a CB-CID official. It was a case of illegal detention and the inspector misused his powers, it said.