Thakur and Purohit also urged the court that they be medically examined to prove that they had been tortured in ATS custody. The sadhvi alleged in court that ATS officials had physically and mentally tortured her and also forced her to listen to a vulgar CD. She had earlier submitted an affidavit in the Nashik court — before MCOCA was slapped and the case transferred to Mumbai — that she was illegally detained and tortured by the ATS, causing BJP leader L K Advani to demand a probe into the allegations and criticise the ATS.

Purohit told the court that third-degree methods were used on him during his alleged illegal detention before he was arrested. “My hands were tied to a rod and I was beaten up so badly that I lost all sensation in them. I was abused and told that RDX would be planted in my house. I was told that even my wife would not be spared,” he said.

Purohit’s family had filed an application in the Nashik magistrate’s court earlier this month saying the serving army officer had been tortured by the ATS but the court dismissed the petition on November 15 after Purohit himself told the court that he had not been tortured. The judge had also said that there was no evidence in six medical reports presented to court that Purohit had been tortured.

Retired Major Ramesh Upadhyaya too made similar charges of torture. He said Maharashtra police chief A N Roy met him on October 26 and allegedly said that he didn’t doubt his patriotism but asked him to confess to the crime or his men would “pulverize” him. Upadhyaya also alleged that ATS Additional Commissioner Parambir Singh slapped him with shoes. He also alleged that he was threatened that narcotics would be planted on his son who would then be jailed for over 10 years while his daughter would be raped in front of him, Upadhyaya told the court.

... contd.