India 'police abuses' condemned

India's police force has been accused of extrajudicial killings, torture and carrying out illegal detentions, human rights campaigners have said. "India's status as the world's largest democracy is undermined by a police force that thinks it is above the law," Brad Adams, Asia Director of Human Rights Watch (HRW), said on Tuesday. "The police continue to use their old methods: abuse and threats ... It's time for the government to stop talking about reform and fix the system." A report - titled Broken System: Dysfunction, Abuse and Impunity in the Indian Police -collated from interviews with 60 alleged victims and about 80 police officers of various ranks detailed various abuses. Several officers admitted in private that suspects were often tortured and beaten to extract confessions, the report said.