When most of us dream of high-paying careers in well-known multinational firms, there are only quite a few people who venture out to accomplish and do something different. They want to change the world for the better. One of them is Piyush Manush, the man who was behind the #standwithpiyush trend on Twitter recently.
No, it is not the first time that we are seeing news headlines about the arrest of a social activist, but this one is different. According to Piyush’s interview to The Hindu, he calls his arrest as an ‘act of revenge’. I could not agree less. Why else would a man who carried out a silent protest be arrested, stripped and beaten when all he was trying to do was protect the basic rights of the community.
Why Was Piyush Manush Arrested?
The real reason for Piyush’s arrest is because he protested against Southern Railway for the construction of an over bridge at Mulluvadi gate in Salem. The government officials wanted to cease the land that belonged to the locals there, but they neither had a notice nor did they promise compensation for the people.
When this came to the activist’s notice, he educated the locals about this and staged a protest against the government. Both the state and the central governments were involved in this, and the project was announced by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. The Salem police had arrested Piyush while he was protesting and he was also denied bail. However, after he was released, he described the gruesome torture he was subjected to when he was in the Salem Central Jail.
The Series Of Events That Happened To Piyush Manush
Piyush was arrested on July 8, 2016, afternoon. He was then taken to the Salem Town police station along with his two friends, where all three of them were arrested. Later, they were sent to the Salem Central Prison. They were stripped, searched, and Piyush was dragged to the Superintendent of Prison. His name was Senthil Kumar.
Moments later, Piyush Manush was beaten by a group of policemen, whom he expects to be around 30 in number. He was first assaulted on the floor, and later on an iron bench. Piyush recollects that the beating would have lasted at least 5 to 10 minutes.
In his interview to local TV channels, Piyush said that he pleaded the officers to stop beating him. At that moment, he felt that dying was a better option than to experience the pain of being beaten. Before Piyush was released, he was threatened by the Superintendent not to exchange any information about his arrest to the media.
Can We Trust the People Who Are Expected To Protect Us?
While the general duty of any police force is to serve and protect the public, worldwide incidents involving policemen assaulting citizens have taken the internet by storm. However, the motto of the Tamil Nadu Police, which was involved in Piyush Manush’s case was “Truth Alone Triumphs”. Maybe they should be reminded about that once again.
It is a known fact that policemen are bound to do political favors and when people protest against the ruling party, they will go to any extent to shun them off. It has indeed become habitual for a common man to get afraid when he sees a policeman in uniform, either for the fact that the policeman will take his money or his dignity.
While it is not unusual for activists to be ill-treated by the governments since the officials are exposed by them blatantly, people like them are essentially the voice of the powerless. After witnessing incidents like these on a regular basis, it is difficult for the common man to trust the police as a friend.
The truth, on the other hand, is that these taxpayers who actually fund the police and the government, are mistreated when they have not even committed a crime. Piyush Manush believes that this incident has not deterred him to stop his fight against any corporate or government body, but his wounds have taught him a lesson to plan out his protests and stay safe at the hands of cruel policemen.
In fact, he is also happy to see the support he has received from social media. When the public unites and supports people like these, it will not only give them the confidence to fight for our rights, but it will also shake policemen like Senthil Kumar who think that they can take the law into their own hands.