Times of
India: Madurai: Saturday, October 25,
2014.
A Navy sailor's wife has alleged that that her
husband was wrongly diagnosed with psychiatric problems and forcefully admitted
in the psychiatric ward at the naval hospital Sanjivini in Kochi as he had
levelled corruption charges against his seniors at INS Kattabomman naval base
in Tirunelveli.
"My husband, Sunil Kumar Sahu, who is a SWA-3
rank officer at naval base INS Kattabomman, had complained about corruption and
dishonesty of officers here. He had informed the same to the commanding officer
at INS Kattabomman, who is also the chief vigilance officer. However, soon
after he raised the issue, he was threatened by the seniors and asked to keep
quiet," said Arthi, a native of Odisha. She alleged that after he again
wrote a letter on October 20 raising corruption charges against senior
officials, the commanding officer called him to his cabin and threatened him.
"He told him that he will fill form 10 and get my husband declared as a
psychiatric patient. After the threat, I decided to lodge a police complaint
and even went to Vijayanarayanam police station (in Tiruneveli district) on
October 21 to lodge a complaint but was asked to come in the evening as the
station in-charge was not there," said Arthi. However, before she could
lodge a complaint, Arthi alleged that her husband was arrested for threatening
his senior officer.
"I was then informed that they have issued an
order to send him to hospital in Kochi for psychiatric treatment and he was
shifted here on October 23. He is wrongly trapped here as he dared to fight
against corruption committed by his seniors," Arthi said. She came along
with her husband to Kochi but is allowed to meet him for only a few hours
daily.
"The sailor is posted at INS Kattabomman
which comes under the Eastern Naval Command headquartered at Visakhapatnam. The
details of the case can be known only from the naval officials at
Visakhapatnam. He was brought here for some medical examination. The nature of
his ailment and his condition can't be shared," said a Navy spokesperson
in Kochi. When contacted, Vijayanarayanam police inspector Paulraj said,
"On receiving the compliant from the woman (Arthi), we rushed to the naval
office at Vijayanarayanam. But, we were not allowed inside the campus. Their
officials spoke only to Cheranmahadevi (in Tirunelveli district) sub-collector.
The naval officer told the sub-collector that action has been initiated against
the complainant's husband under the Navy Act. Thereafter, we closed the
complaint because the Tamil Nadu police could do nothing more."
"My husband graduated in science and served
in the Indian Navy for 10 years. He was transferred to Tirunelveli in October
last year from Karwar naval base INS Kadamba in Karnataka as he tried to expose
corruption," said Arthi. She said her husband obtained information through
RTI about the purchase of television sets and forwarded it to higher officials
in Visakhapatnam.
The RTI followed an allegation that a private firm
had given television sets to the naval base free of cost, but they were shown
as having been purchased. This resulted in her husband facing detention and
torture, she alleged.
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