Viriya Paramita – A prominent human rights group accused police in East Nusa Tenggara on Monday or torturing 17 people suspected of killing a police officer.

The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) said the chain of events started in March, when Adj. Insp. Bernadus Djawa, from the West Sabu subdistrict police, disappeared in the village of Raymude.

West Sabu Police Chief Adj. Comr. Tomy Wila Huky and members of the local military command launched a search for the missing policeman, and enlisted the help of residents who knew the area.

At 7 p.m. on March 31, residents found Bernadus's lifeless body at the bottom of a ravine. But shortly after they reported the discovery, the police accused the residents of murdering Bernadus.

Kontras coordinator Haris Azhar said that 17 men were illegally taken into custody, forced to strip nude and placed in a cell measuring three by two-and-a-half meters. The men were then allegedly beaten with a blunt object and forced to drink their own urine.

"There was one officer from Kupang, notorious for his sadistic acts, who came to help with the investigation," Haris said.

"One cop from Kupang came to beat us up," said one of the men who was detained, 56-year-old farmer Saul Kanni. "Every time we were beaten, the other cops just laughed and clapped."

The East Nusa Tenggara Police have denied the allegations. "There was no misconduct on the part of our officers," East Nusa Tenggara Police Chief Brig. Gen. Ricky Sihotang said on Monday.

Kontras said it was advocating on behalf of the victims and had brought the case to the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), the Ombudsman Commission and the National Police Comission (Kompolnas).

"We didn't bring this case to National Police Headquarters because they have failed to follow up on so many cases," Haris said.

All 17 men were held at the West Sabu Police station for 12 days before being transferred to Kupang, the provincial capital. They were released on July 29 because of a lack of evidence.

"One day, one of the victims wanted to [urinate]. The police told him to take a bottle to collect the urine. After that, he was forced to drink it," Saul said. "Another time, the police also forced us to cut our hair, from our head and pubic area. The hair was mixed with kerosene and sand for us to drink." He said they were also frequently dunked in seawater

Haris said the police had violated the international convention on forced disappearances as well as a number of other covenants. "Indonesia has already signed the international convention against the use of violence but only the elite level of the police understand that," he said.

"Police officers at the lower levels often take shortcuts and force victims to confess to the police versions of the facts. There are some leaders who condone such violence. There has not been any action to stop it."

The incident is part of a growing list of allegations against police officers in the country.