Police harassment led to suicide, says Aqeel’s family

By Mohd. Ismail Khan, TwoCircles.net,

Hyderabad: The suicide of Mohd Aqeel, 24, has brought into limelight once again the police harassment of Muslim youths involved in false or petty cases. Mohd Aqeel was a resident of Nasheman Nagar area of old city. He studied till 12th standard and then started his own footwear shop, but 18 months back the city police opened an old case of his alleged involvement in the 2010 communal riots in the city. Three days back Aqeel committed suicide allegedly due to the police harassment since opening of the sheet. He hanged himself at his residence in the late Sunday night while his family members were away for a marriage function.

He left behind a hand written and signed suicide note in which he mentioned police harassment as the reasons of his extreme step. He reiterated in the note that he is innocent.

Mohd Aqeel

Blame game

News about the suicide spread like a wildfire and soon local political parties got involved in accusation and counter accusation. Soon the tension in the area escalated when former CPI(M) MP P. Madhu tried to visit the victim’s home to console the family. The MIM party workers led by local corporator and MLA allegedly stopped Madhu and his associates from entering the house of the deceased, which led to clashes between two political parties. Then as usual the real issue got diverted and the political blame game began.

The case

It was in the year 2010 when Mohd Aqeel and his brother Mohammed Khaleel were arrested by the Special Investigation Team. They were booked for allegedly inciting communal riots, attacking police and attempting to murder. When they got released Bhavaninagar and Moghulpura police stations opened a rowdy sheets against Aqeel and his brother Khaleel. Their rowdy sheets were opened by the police without even filing a chargesheet in the court on the FIRs in the above cases. They were among those hundreds of Muslim youths whose rowdy sheets are being opened by the AP police after 2010 riots.

TCN visited the home of Aqeel. Political environment was still charged even after 3 days of the suicide; police informers and men from different political parties surrounded the house keeping tab on every move of the family.

His brother Mohd Khaleel told TCN that from the day of the opening of the rowdy sheet all the doors for the troubles were opened in their life. According to him he and his deceased brother have never taken part in any conspiracy or fight. He said, “We are normal middle class people, we have no interest whatsoever in fighting with police or others, we were happy with our small life and business. But after the rowdy sheets were opened against us we were seriously tortured by the police. Police used to visit our house 3 days before every festival and arrested us, they used to demand huge mamools (bribe) from our family members in order to release us; Moghulpura police station inspector Mohd Fayaaz, ASI Mohammed Basheer made our life hell by collecting money from us. My younger brother was a sensitive person when he saw his life getting ruined, his business getting failed due to sitting in police station every week and we were not able to buy medicines for our mother who is diabetic patient, then he took this drastic step.”

When asked why police handpicked them to open rowdy sheets if they were not involved, his another brother Mohd Shakeel replied: After the communal riots police informers were in pressure from the police to give the names. Police have informers in every Galli of old city, according to him some police informers named his brothers in the riots case as they belong to poor working class family, and they became escapegoats for those Pehalwans who actually participated in those riots, as those informers and Pehelwans have nexus so they won’t name them, and police will act blindly and arrest innocents as they have to show to their superiors ‘progress’ in the case.

His family members told TCN that they went to the local corporator Wajahat Ali khan and MLA Mumtaz Ahmed Khan for help. “They always used to shoo us away by saying that the matter will be solved but no political leader ever took it seriously till my brother committed suicide.” Mohd Khaleel said his brother was always apolitical; he never took part in any political activity; he said their family is traumatized to see politics is being played on his name by different political parties by diverting the real issue of police harassment.

After media attention fades away, they will again harass us

Mohd Khaleel said police harassment is still continuing to his family. The rowdy sheet is still open on my name for no fault of mine, when all the media attention which we got will fade away in some days then again police will come and settle their score with me or even with my younger brothers for speaking against them. Then I am seeing my way on the same path of my brother, I think I will also commit suicide in the coming days.” He said with tears in his eyes.

Local social worker of Bhavani Nagar area, Mohd Salahuddin told TCN, that “nowadays in old city if a person wants to survive he should have political affiliations or the money power otherwise they are easy target for the police. By arresting those innocent youths, they will open their history sheets and will force them to become informers.”

MIM raised police harassment issue in Assembly

Coming under stiff pressure from many Muslims across the city on 21st February Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen Assembly members demanded discussion on the harassment of Muslim youths by AP police in the 2010 communal riots cases. The MIM MLAs Ahmed Balala, Ahmed Pasha Quadri, Mumtaz Ahmed Khan and Virasat Rasool Khan went to the Speaker's podium and started raising slogans against police harassment on Muslim youths. MIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi was standing near his seat and demanding a discussion. Home Minister P Sabitha Indira Reddy announced that she would conduct a meeting on Friday with police officers to discuss the issue of rowdy sheets of Muslim youths then the discussion will take place on this issue in the house.

It will be interesting to see in the coming days what is going to be the response of the Muslim leadership in Hyderabad, to win back the trust of their strong hold Muslim dominated areas by addressing this issue of police harassment, which is seriously denting their image.

MBT corporator Amjedullah Khan was among the first to visit the victim family. He also led a protest demonstration demanding check on the police harassment of Muslim youths.