TN police’s ‘slippery’ toilets: Data shows over 300 suspects fractured limbs in custody

New RTI data from Puzhal prison suggests custodial torture is a grim pattern, with over 300 inmates entering jail with broken limbs.

This story is part of our series on Police Impunity in India. Reporters from The News Minute and Newslaundry are travelling across states to bring you stories of negligence and abuse of power by the police, and how minorities and marginalised sections suffer the most.

In Tamil Nadu, perfectly healthy suspects arrested by the police in criminal cases often end up in jail with broken limbs. The standard explanation from the police is that the suspect “slipped and fell in the bathroom” of the police station.

Without any solid data that can prove a pattern, the police have till now walked away with no consequences. Now, for the first time, data obtained through a Right to Information (RTI) petition has revealed a grim pattern. 

Between January 1 and October 7, 2024, at least 304 accused persons remanded to Chennai’s Central Prisons in Puzhal had fracture injuries.

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