Reacting to the development, Executive Director of the People’s Watch Henri Tiphagne told TNM that the government was adopting delaying tactics to avoid registering a First Information Report (FIR) against Balveer Singh. “The RDO [Revenue Divisional Officer] enquiry is already in place and victims have already started deposing. The police station visit shows that crucial CCTV footage from March 10 is missing. Why is the case still being covered-up? This continuing inhumane treatment and torture of victims is only to avoid registration of an FIR and the arrest of brutal IPS officer Balveer Singh,” he said.

The custodial torture came to light on March 26 when three men shared their ordeal in a video that began doing the rounds on social media. The men claimed that they were taken to the Ambasamudram police station and were beaten up and their teeth were broken by the then ASP Balveer Singh. One of the men, Chellappa, told in the video that his brother was kicked in the chest by the police officers and was also sexually assaulted by them.