Times
of India: Madurai: Sunday, 26 October 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, the naval base at Tirunelveli, 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.