Peechi custodial torture: Police internal probe incriminated SI Ratheesh; oral inquiry still on, shows HRC report

A departmental probe by the police had found damning evidence of power abuse and custody assault, and stringent action was recommended against Kerala cop P M Ratheesh in the Peechi station case, shows the report filed by the Investigation officer for the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC). The police department has, however, limited the action to an oral inquiry, which has been dragging on for two years. 

The Peechi case came to light soon after visuals of custody torture in Kunnamkulam police station emerged. CCTV visuals from Peechi police station obtained by K P Ouseph, a hotel owner in Pattikkad, showed his son Paul Joseph and hotel staff being snubbed and assaulted by the cops in May 2023. They were summoned to the station following a dispute over the quality of food with a customer named Dinesh. Ouseph also alleged that he was forced to pay a bribe of ₹5 lakh to the cops. 

The HRC received a complaint from public activist Satish in 2023. In his complaint, he sought a direction from the rights panel to obtain CCTV visuals dated May 23 and 24, 2023, from Peechi police station and to take action against the cops based on the evidence garnered from the CCTV footage. The HRC assigned an investigation officer at the rank of Inspector General to probe the complaint. 

The probe report showed that Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Ollur, had investigated the complaint filed by Ouseph with the City Police Commissioner. It was reported that Ratheesh, then the SI of Peechi police station, indulged in actions that brought disrepute to the police department and that there was a serious breach of duty. The ACP noted in the report that instead of filing a case, Ratheesh created a situation facilitating a bargain between Ouseph and Dinesh, and he held four persons in the police lock-up for two hours. 

The ACP had recommended stringent disciplinary action against Ratheesh in a report filed with the ADGP (Law & Order). Later, the report was forwarded for appropriate action to the DIG, Thrissur. This was submitted in a report presented to the HRC by the City Police Commissioner in November 2023. During the probe by the investigation officer for the HRC, it was revealed that proceedings for the oral inquiry were underway. Ratheesh, in his statement to the investigation officer, had said that he did not register a case because both parties had wanted to settle the matter amicably.

The HRC report also showed that the police came up with all possible explanations to avoid furnishing CCTV footage. It was initially said that Peechi station, located in a place which faced a Maoist threat, and sharing CCTV footage could compromise the safety of the cops. Later, it was said that revealing footage would lead to the identification of complainants, which could be a threat to their safety. The cops also cited the privacy aspect of women and children to reject Satish's request for CCTV footage. Later, the footage was released to Ouseph based on the direction of the State Information Commission, which acted by invoking the exemption under the relevant section of the Right to Information Act. 

In May 2025, the HRC had directed the state police chief to submit a report on the viability of installing a notice board which would enable the public to file complaints of human rights violations in police stations. The DGP failed to submit the report, following which the HRC recently sent a reminder.