A horrifying face of hooliganism and brutality by influential figures has emerged in the city—a tale so chilling that it would make one’s soul tremble. A poor man, summoned to guard a newly constructed bungalow, was not only held captive but was also falsely accused of theft and subjected to such a brutal, ‘Taliban-style’ punishment that he is now battling for his life. Crossing all boundaries of decency and humanity, the accused applied electric currents to the victim’s private parts and beat him with sticks until he was left half-dead. In a complaint submitted to the Police Commissioner, the victim’s wife, Sunita, has pleaded for justice regarding this act of barbarism inflicted upon her husband.
According to Sunita, a resident of Civil City, her husband, Madan Lal, was looking for extra night-duty work to fund the medical treatment of their differently-abled daughter and to cover household expenses. During this search, a security guard lured him to a new bungalow on Hambran Road under the pretext of securing him a job there. On the night of April 8, the owners of the bungalow left Madan Lal inside and locked the premises from the outside.
The victim’s wife alleges that when the owners returned the following morning, they accused Madan Lal of stealing between ₹15 to ₹20 lakhs. Despite his protestations of innocence, the owners and their accomplices locked Madan Lal in a room and began subjecting him to ruthless torture. When this failed to satisfy their sadistic urges, the accused administered electric shocks to Madan Lal’s private parts in an attempt to force a confession of the theft. During this ordeal, his mobile phone, motorcycle, and the cash he had in his pockets were also confiscated. When the family finally reached the police station, Madan Lal’s condition was so critical that the police personnel themselves advised that he be rushed to a hospital immediately. Currently, given the severity of his condition, doctors at the Civil Hospital are making arrangements to refer him to the PGI (Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research) for specialized treatment. The victim’s family alleges that the police are refusing to disclose the names of the influential bungalow owners, while the owners themselves are threatening to implicate them in false cases.
