The People’s Union of Civil Liberties on Tuesday sought NHRC’s intervention in the case of detention of suspected Maoist Soni Suri alleging that she was tortured by Chhattisgarh Police.

Sori could not be produced before a court in Chhattisgarh as police claimed that she fell in a bathroom and was injured. However, activists had refused to buy the police version and demanded that she should be shifted to Delhi.

“It seems a clear case of custodial torture and therefore in the interest of justice, I appeal to NHRC to immediately intervene in the matter in form of monitoring of the health, safety and the case against her as it pertains to a hapless woman whose whole family including herself, as reported by the newspaper, is a victim of Maoist violence,” the PUCL complaint alleged.

In the complaint, PUCL General Secretary Pushkar Raj appealed to the Commission that it must take a “very strong stand” on custodial torture and send a strong message across to the Chattisgarh Government in particular and country in general that custodial violence is a serious crime.

“The commission must fix accountability and ensure that the guilty policemen are punished as per the law,” he said.

Sori, a primary school teacher who is an aunt of Lingaram Kodopi, recently arrested for allegedly acting as a conduit between Maoists and Essar, was apprehended from Katwaria Sarai by a Delhi Police team on October four.

“We pray that she should be rescued from the hands of the Chhattisgarh Police, that Sori be immediately examined by a doctor, provided medical help, the report of her injuries be made public and that she be immediately transferred to Delhi,” activist Shabnam Hashmi said.

She also demanded that police personnel who have tortured Sori be immediately suspended and a high level enquiry is ordered.

Activist Swami Agnivesh also condemned the alleged incident and said that she should be shifted to Delhi for further investigation.

“We cannot trust Chhattisgarh Police version. A video has surfaced on the Internet which shows Sori writhing in pain in hospital,” he claimed.