Salem: Released on bail from the central prison here amid charges of custodial torture, green activist Piyush Manush told the media outside the jail on Thursday that he was stripped and brutally beaten up and kicked by some 30 prison staff including the jail superintendent. Jail staff also told him later they hit him for burning the national flag. “I knew nothing about the flag”, he said.

Piyush, convenor of the Salem Citizens Forum along with two associates Esan Karthik and Muthu were arrested on July 8 for protesting against construction of an overbridge at Mulluvadi Gate in Salem. While the police alleged he had obstructed the officials from carrying out their duties and slapped non-bailable charges to lock him up, Piyush said his forum had never opposed the bridge but were only pleading for roads on either side to help the traffic. On the other hand, the police had gone to the extent of slapping even a sedition charge against him by accusing him of burning the national flag, he regretted. Piyush said when he was taken to the jail (on July 8), he was asked which caste he belonged to and he replied he was a Jain and they had no caste. After that the superintendent and the other staff attacked him brutally.

“There were blows of lathis and boots. I kept pleading I had cancer tumor removed and I was in pain, but they continued to beat me brutally. I cried but they would not stop”, he said, adding that the attacks stopped only after his wife Monica met him in the jail and he told her about the brutal beating and she in turn informed the media.

“I want to know why the superintendent hit me so brutally. I want to know who is behind this. And what is this charge that I burnt the national flag?” Piyush cried. It took quite a while for the green activist and his family—wife and parents—to compose themselves after all of them broke down when Piyush emerged from the prison. Piyush made little effort to contain his sobbing even as he kept repeating to the media persons, “Please give me a little time, let me talk to my family to first know what happened outside while I had been locked up there, and I will tell you everything”.

When a reporter shot him the painful question if he had been beaten up in the jail and tortured, as alleged by wife Monica Sethia, Piyush replied, “Yes. Thirty men hit me. I had great faith in the prison administration but that was shattered”. Later he sat for a press conference along with his family and detailed how he was beaten up by the prison officials and orally abused. He said he would move the courts against the prison staff.

After Monica met her husband in jail and brought out the assault charge on July 16, rights activists across the state started protests demanding Piyush’s release and action against the prison officials. While the Salem judicial magistrate granted bail to his two associates Karthik and Muthu the previous day (July 15), the bail plea from Piyush was rejected.

“I want to know why the superintendent hit me so brutally. I want to know who is behind this. And what is this charge that I burnt the national flag?” Piyush cried. It took quite a while for the green activist and his family—wife and parents—to compose themselves after all of them broke down when Piyush emerged from the prison. Piyush made little effort to contain his sobbing even as he kept repeating to the media persons, “Please give me a little time, let me talk to my family to first know what happened outside while I had been locked up there, and I will tell you everything”.

When a reporter shot him the painful question if he had been beaten up in the jail and tortured, as alleged by wife Monica Sethia, Piyush replied, “Yes. Thirty men hit me. I had great faith in the prison administration but that was shattered”. Later he sat for a press conference along with his family and detailed how he was beaten up by the prison officials and orally abused. He said he would move the courts against the prison staff.

After Monica met her husband in jail and brought out the assault charge on July 16, rights activists across the state started protests demanding Piyush’s release and action against the prison officials. While the Salem judicial magistrate granted bail to his two associates Karthik and Muthu the previous day (July 15), the bail plea from Piyush was rejected.