By TCN Staff Reporter,
Hyderabad: More than 20 Muslim prisoners, many of them languishing in jail in the Mecca Masjid blast case, were allegedly brutally beaten up in the Cherlapally jail here by the staffers and police brought from outside on Monday evening. Some of the jail officials also reportedly sustained injuries in the clash that took place a day after the new jail superintendent took charge.
These Muslim inmates had gone to court on their date. When they returned at 4:30 pm they found their cell ransacked and belongings scattered all around. The jail officials had carried out a search operation allegedly to recover cell phones. As the inmates were eating lunch, a heavy contingent of police descended and started beating the inmates, Amjadullah Khan, city corporator and leader of Majlis Bachao Tehreek told TwoCircles.net. He was the first to reach the jail yesterday evening as soon as the news about the beating reached him.
Cheralpally central jail near Hyderabad
He alleged that the senior police officers, who picked innocent Muslim youths and implicated them in Mecca Masjid blast case, are fearing prosecution following the confession of RSS pracharak and terror accused Swami Aseemanand for the Mecca blast and some other terror attacks in the country.
Khan termed media reports of the incident as one sided. Several news reports say when the jail officials under the leadership of the new superintendent Mr Srinivas and his deputy were conducting search, the inmates attacked them. In return the officials used baton. According to reports three officials have got injured in the scuffle.
Amjadullah Khan told TCN that the jail staff barged into a special high-security Papagni barrack and started conducting search of Muslim prisoners when they were having meals. They beat up them when they protested and even held a prisoner by his beard and allegedly told him that sporting beard is not allowed in jail.
In all 22 Muslim prisoners were kept in the Papagni barrack. Some of them are accused in Mecca blast and some in the task force office blast of 2005. They include Mohammad Kaleem, Zahid, Mahmood Barood Wala, Syed Haji, Moosa and Shakeel.
Khan said the real story is altogether different. The drama was staged. He alleged the new jail superintendent is RSS influenced. Embarrassed with the Aseemanand’s confession he hatched the conspiracy of jail clash to further implicate Muslim youths. Assemanand had an encounter with Mecca blast accused Abdul Kaleem in the same jail in December 2010 and his heart melted when he heard the torture tale of Kaleem and other Muslim youths for the blast that he and other Hindutva terrorists had carried out.
Protesting against the beating Khan led relatives of jail inmates and sat on dharna in front of jail gate last evening. Besides some human rights activists two MLAs of Majlis Ittehadul Muslemeen also reached the spot but none were allowed to go inside the jail to see the real picture.
Khan demanded immediate suspension and arrest of new jail superintendent as he has violated the jail manuals.
Meanwhile, the police have reportedly booked 12 jail inmates for attacking and beating the jail officials.
[Photo Courtesy: http://apprisons.gov.in]