Well Im not one to always believe everything I read. But here is a guy from India who says it is to back the story up. Besides they do much worse things to prisoners there. Why is it so far fetched to think they would not tickle?
Don't misunderstand me. I'm not calling the person a lier, or even really doubting the possibility. I've known more then a few people who can verify that tickling can become pretty unbearable when prolonged.
However, i do have somewhat of a morbid interest in real tickle torture, so that interest compells me to look more closely at the issue.