Transcript
SALLY ROUND: Rajneel Singh's case is a curious one - here we have someone who apparently foiled a plot to attack the government, was then brutality assaulted twice and yet three and a half years on, no word from the authorities on how investigations into his case have ended up. He's been lodging reports with the police, he says, every step of the way but seen no progress on getting those responsible.
Mr Singh has now applied for a judicial review and for the judge to give certain orders directed at the Fiji Police Force and the Attorney-General. The case comes up again at the High Court at Lautoka next month.
JAMIE TAHANA: Can you recap the story for us?
SR: The case first cropped up in November 2015 when Fiji's state broadcaster reported the police commissioner had sent soldiers to guard Rajneel Singh, an internet cafe owner, who was in hospital after being beaten up and left for dead in a pine plantation.
Mr Singh had earlier apparently found certain politically sensitive information on a computer in his cafe and reported it.
At the time the police chief said soldiers were sent in to guard Mr Singh because members of the police force had been accused of his assault.
In August the following year Mr Singh was assaulted again and left for dead with allegations again of police involvement.
Now three and a half years later I've been in touch with his wife, who only wants to be known as Mrs Singh.
She told me the family's struggling and Mr Singh's still suffering from the assaults.
"If he does any heavy work his back (gets) swollen and as soon as it swells he suffers numbness on the right side of his body . He's barely able to move. We again have to take him for massages and his medication so now we are just preventing him from doing any hard work. It's like a healthy man is being forced into his own grave."
Mrs Singh says apart from the assaults her husband is being constantly harassed by certain members of the police force. And Mrs Singh has lots of questions for the authorities including why the internet cafe computers are still being held.:
"From 2015, 16, 18, my husband has been lodging reports. What is the progress. What is the status? What is the classification? Why is the Commissioner of Police so silent?"
JT: What are the police saying?
I contacted the Police Commissioner this week asking him about progress on the case but so far have had no reply to my questions.
Since the court action was lodged, Mrs Singh says she too has been threatened:
"This guy went on a told me that it would be better that you advise your husband to withdraw his High Court cases. It will be safe for you and your family. If you want to live, you just tell your husband to withdraw the cases."
"According to what I have seen so far, with the events that have unfolded from 2015 until now is that I simply feel that somebody is trying to protect someone."
