The Assam Rifles (AR) finds itself in yet another controversy. This time, it has been accused of putting to torture its rifleman Hyder Ali, who is facing a court martial and is under detention.

Visuals of Ali being handcuffed and roughed up by AR personnel are being circulated and have been shown on television channels. This at a time when four senior officers of the force have been served contempt notices by the Shillong Bench of the Gauhati High Court for willfully disobeying its order by not allowing Ali’s wife Shahar Bano to meet him last month.

Talking to The Indian Express on Monday, the force’s PRO Col. S S Gill said, “As the case is sub judice I would not like to comment on it.” On the issue of denying Bano the permission to meet Ali, Gill said the allegation was not true and that she was allowed to meet the rifleman.

With regard to the contempt notice, he said the AR had not received it but the legal department would be the authority, which can respond to the query. Ali’s lawyer Raghvendra Jha said the Shillong Bench had given the AR authorities two weeks to respond to the contempt notice. Reacting to Gill’s statement, Jha said, “Ali was only allowed to talk to his wife over telephone and was not given the permission to meet.”

Sources said the visual footage that showed Ali being handcuffed and beaten up was taken by AR so that it could act as a deterrent to other jawans against disobeying the authorities. However, to the embarrassment of the AR, Ali’s sympathisers leaked the visuals.

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