Five of the six accused in the Parliament security breach case on Wednesday told a court that they were allegedly given electric shocks and tortured to accept their association with political parties, reports Bar and Bench.
All the six accused, who were arrested in December, after they staged a protest in Parliament breaching its security, are in judicial custody till March 1.
The submission was made before Additional Sessions Judge Hardeep Kaur by five accused – Manoranjan D, Sagar Sharma, Lalit Jha, Amol Shinde and Mahesh Kumawat. The plea stated that during polygraph, narco and brain mapping tests, they were putting pressure on them to name a political party or leader in connection with the case.
They also alleged that they were forced to sign about 70 blank pages by Delhi Police.
“Accused persons were tortured/given electric shocks to sign and confess (to) the commission of crime under the UAPA and their association with national political parties… two accused persons were forced to write on the paper about their association with the political party/leader of opposition political party,” the accused told the court in a joint petition, as quoted by PTI.
“During (after/before the conduction of polygraph/narco/brain mapping), the associated persons conducting the tests pressed two accused persons to name a political party/leader about their involvement. Each were asked about their current/old mobile phone numbers and made them visit the Airtel/BSNL/Vodafone offices for issuance of SIM cards of old mobile numbers and current SIM card numbers for reasons best known to the prosecution. During this illegal drill, accused persons gave their biometrics/signed for issuance of SIM cards,” the joint petition stated.
The judge has listed the matter for February 17, atfer Delhi Police sought time to reply to their application.
The sixth accused in the case is Neelam Azad who had earlier told the court that a female officer had forcibly obtained her signature on 52 blank pages, reports The Indian Express.
Two men – Manoranjan and Sagar – had jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitor’s gallery and opened gas canisters on December 13. Outside the Parliament’s premises, two people, Azad and Shinde, had opened smoke canisters and shouted “stop dictatorship”. All of them were arrested on December 13. Later, Police arrested the alleged mastermind behind the ‘conspiracy’, Jha and other accused Kumawat.
All six were arrested under the anti-terror provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.