Nedumangad: A 36-year-old Dalit woman from Panavoor has alleged that she was subjected to mental torture by the police for nearly 20 hours after being brought to the Peroorkada Police Station in connection with a theft case. According to her complaint, Bindu was summoned for questioning at 3pm on May 13 and was released only at 12 noon on May 14.

Bindu was summoned to the station following a complaint about a stolen necklace from the house where she had been employed. She had started working there just three days earlier.

Bindu was subjected to brutal mental harassment after the house owner lodged the theft complaint. Though she repeatedly wept and insisted on her innocence, the police refused to release her. During the night, she was reportedly not allowed to let her family know she was at the police station. Later that night, officers took her to her home in Panavoor and conducted a search for the missing necklace. She was then brought back to the Peroorkada station. It is alleged that she was not even provided with drinking water during this time.

However, the necklace believed to be missing was later found in the same house. The next day, the house owner went to the police station and informed them that she had recovered the necklace. After this, the police agreed to release Bindu. Yet, even after her innocence was confirmed, she was made to remain at the station for several more hours before her phone was returned and she was allowed to leave.

Bindu has lodged a complaint with the Chief Minister, the Minister for Scheduled Castes, and the Director General of Police, seeking action against the police for the humiliation and mental harassment she endured. MLA D. K. Murali visited her home and gathered details about the incident.