Torture is one of the most heinous crimes a human being can commit against another. It is not confined to the so-called 'rogue' states but is also practised in states that are deemed to be democratic. According to Amnesty International, torture is practised in more than half of the world's countries. In India - often lauded as the world's largest democracy - torture is widespread and is not accounted for. It is used as a method of interrogation and as a tool of oppression. Its victims are often from particularly vulnerable groups, many of them poor and illiterate.