By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Hyderabad: City Commissioner of Police has filed a detailed investigation status report in the 11-year-old Shiekh Mustafa’s murder case, which the High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad is entertaining as a Public Interest Litigation.
In the detail report – TCN has a copy – police have confirmed that the main line in the suspicion is army officers of Mehdipatnam garrison.
Sheikh Mustafauddin and site where his burned body was found. (File photo)
While admitting the PIL (no 295 of 2014), the bench of Chief Justice Kalyan Jyoti Sengupta and Justice Sanjay Kumar directed the Union government to become party to the matter as the case pertains to the prestige of the Indian Army. The HC bench has also directed Commissioner of Police to file the status report of investigation.
In confirmation with the court order, the Police Commissioner filed a status report giving every minute detail regarding the ongoing investigation.
Sheikh Mustafa, a madrasa student, was a resident of Siddiq Nagar inside Mehdipatnam army garrison. He was found with severe burn injuries outside the barricade of the garrison. In his dying declaration, Mustafa told the magistrate that two men in army uniform had set him ablaze. The boy had succumbed to his burn injuries at the Apollo DRDO hospital on October 9.
This murder case had created a sensation after allegations of sexual assault and sodomy were raised against army personnel, whose involvement was getting investigated by the local police. Later, the postmortem report by AP forensic laboratory confirmed that victim Mustafa had an anal tear which suggested an attempted sodomy.
According to the Commissioner of Police status report, after wide range of consultations, the Special Investigation Team formed to crack the case made a plan of action to focus on following angles, 1) Illegal intimacy, 2) Sodomy by army men, 3) Activities of Madarasa on religious angle, 4) Involvement of other organizations, 5) Grave and sudden provocation of Army men 6) Psychic behavior of army personnel.
The report stated that during the course of investigation as many as 70 military personnel and civilians mobile number call details were obtained from different service providers. Besides this cell tower ID data near the scene of offence was collected and analyzed with the help of call data experts.
Police said they have analyzed CCTV footages but couldn’t find anything to track the culprits. It has also mentioned that investigation officer have also collected details of employees in 47 INF brigade garrison and patrolling parties’ details from the garrison commander.
As many as 21 material objects were sent for forensic sciences laboratory for its analysis and reports obtained. The report particularly mentioned the incriminating material ‘Frooti bottle’ (500 ml) containing 5 ml kerosene, which was found at the scene of offence. It was manufactured at Chennai and distributed to several stores in Hyderabad. But CSD canteen inside the garrison told the investigators that this particular Frooti bottle did not form part of the inventory of defense forces.
It was also revealed that SIT examined 47 independent witnesses and recorded their statements. Moreover, 70 military personnel of Mehdipatnam garrison were questioned. As many as 23 military personnel were called to DCP west zone office for interrogation, on a ‘reasonable suspicion’.
Report meticulously mentioned that Lance Naik B Appala Raju, who committed suicide on November 3 in suspicious circumstances after the incident was ‘a strong suspect among them’.
The report further said: “Though Appala Raju was on leave till 13-10-2014, he went to Dhobi ghat, which is near to the scene of offence, and consumed liquor on 8-10-2014 at 12:00 hrs. During questioning he gave conflicting versions as to why he was at the Dhobi Ghat on the day of incident.”
Report also mentioned that parallel to police investigation the military authorities had constituted a special court of enquiry team headed by Col Sunil Mann, Major Barun Singh and Major Bhavani to enquire into Mustafa’s death.
Police report also revealed that a day before Appala Raju committed suicide he was called for questioning by the military authorities. A day later during his stand by quick reaction team duty, he was found dead inside a locked bathroom with fire arm injuries and his service rifle lying by his side.
Due to the above suspicious incident of suicide of prime accused and sudden transfer of SIT chief Shahnawaz Qasim out of Hyderabad just a week after taking up the investigation, a city based Advocate Gulam Rabbani filed a PIL 295/2014 demanding CBI inquiry in the murder case questioning the ability of local police.
In his PIL, Advocate Rabbani stated that deceased boy in his dying statement clearly stated that two army men had set him ablaze, but unfortunately local police except for registering FIR didn’t made any breakthrough in the investigation. In his report, the Commissioner of Police assured the High Court that investigation is active to nab the culprits and apart from SIT, Special Branch, Task Force and Intelligence Wing of city police are making their best efforts to detect the case under the supervision of Commissioner’s office.
Related:
Mustafa murder case: High Court admits PIL, directs Centre to become party
Mustafa murder case: NCM issue notice to Defense Ministry