Why is torture prevalent in Indian policing even though it is illegal?

A new report by the NGO Common Cause and Lokniti- Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) has surveyed the attitudes towards torture by policemen across India. ‘The Status of Policing in India Report 2025: Police Torture and (Un) Accountability’ has, for the first time, produced empirical data on the justifications for torture that permeates the Indian police.

Uniquely, this report approaches torture not from the perspective of human rights activists, but from the standpoint of the most common perpetrator – the police.

Among other things, the survey broadly confirms that the police rely on a culture of fear through the use of “tough methods”, justify torture in all kinds of cases, including minor offences, and that support for torture is high in the highest echelons of the police, the IPS officers.

Yet the Indian constitution prohibits torture in police custody. What explains this anomaly, and what is the roadmap to get the custodians of the law to respect the law when it comes to torture?

Guest: Prakash Singh, former police chief and a leading figure in the advocacy for police reforms in India.

Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu

Recorded by Aniket Singh Chauhan and Jude Weston

Edited by Shivaraj S

Produced by Jude Weston