The most persistent allegations of torture of political prisoners have come from Punjab. Prisoners have reported being beaten while suspended from the ceiling with their hands tied behind their backs and in some cases, being given electric shocks. They have claimed to have been beaten all over, including on the soles of the feet, and that they have had their legs stretched wide apart and chillies stuck up the anus. Several victims have filed petitions in court and some have identified those who had inflicted the torture — they were police officers or members of the Central Reserve Police Force. In a few cases the allegations have been confirmed by an independent authority and compensation accordingly granted to the victims. In May 1986, for example, Justice Tiwana,