By TCN News,
Hyderabad: A fact finding report of the city-based Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee (CLMC) has claimed that the 11-year-old Sheikh Mustafauddin, allegedly burned alive by two army personnel, was sexually assaulted by army personnel before his death.
His father Sheikh Muqeetuddin, as earlier, denied any such claim.
Mustafa, a resident of Siddiqnagar, a locality inside Mehdipatnam army garrison, was allegedly burnt alive by men in army uniform on October 8. He had succumbed to his burn injuries on October 9.
Sheikh Mustafauddin and site where his burned body was found.
The CLMC fact finding team comprising Kaneez Fathima, Adv. Gulam Rabbani, Adv. Ismail Khan (Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee), D. Kotesh & Gurram Seetaramulu (Research scholars, English and Foreign Languages University), D. Nagaraju, Sogra Begum (Activists), Tathagata Sengupta (Asst. Professor, HCU), Adv. Greeshma Rai, Kaveri Indira (Faculty Fellow, HCU), Arpita Kanjilal (Research Scholar, HCU) visited Mehdipatnam garrison where the incident took place and spoke to boy’s relatives, locals of Siddiqnagar and even the Investigation Officer of the case.
Incidentally, the army guards did not allow the fact finding team to go inside the Mehdipatnam garrison, where residential locality Siddiqnagar is located. So a meeting with the locals and Mustafa’s relatives was arranged at a nearby eye hospital.
The committee report claimed two locals, who did not wished to be identified, had told the team that the boy was lured with chocolate, sexually assaulted and then set on fire “so that he wouldn’t get to tell anyone about the sexual violence and also to ensure that the evidence of the assault was destroyed.”
The team demanded a CBI inquiry into the whole incident and also claimed that the military officers “seem to know who the culprits are, but they are shielding those criminals.” The report hence demanded, the military officers should “immediately court marshal those criminals and restore moral values in the army personnel.”
The family members and other residents of Siddiq Nagar, who TCN spoke with, are, however, not willing to share this information, possibly out of the fear of public shame and violence, apparently from the army authorities.
Muqeetuddin vehemently denied his son was sexually violated by the killers. As reported by TwoCircles.net earlier, he asserted that if it had been the case, Mustafa would have definitely told him, just as he had narrated every bit of information in his dying statement.
The Fact Finding team also visited Humayunagar police station, where they met IO S Ravindar. The report quoted the officer saying: “Till now, no clue has been found but the burden of responsibility lies with the military officers. About 15-20 teams are formed, categorized and in groups they are approaching various people for investigation.”
The report also mentioned one of the team member asked whether there is any doubt of sodomy as heard by some team members, the officer replied that the police are “looking at all the angles including this issue.”
The officer also mentioned to the fact finding team that the officials from the Army have been cooperative but he mentioned that the Army has its jurisdiction and sway over the whole area. “He was clear that the Army’s permission is required to interrogate officials working with the Army,” the report said.
An observation by the Fact Finding team about the conditions at the site also included that the team’s interactions with locals found out that residents of Siddiqnagar are facing harassment inside the army garrison. The report stated, “The civilians are given passes which they have to show each time they leave or enter the gate and renew them every year. No other person including relatives and friends are allowed to enter this locality.”
“The locals also said that since two years the military personnel are troubling a lot especially to female residents. When the women come or go out, they are asked to show their faces by removing their burqa or even if they are with their brothers, fathers or husbands, they are forced to show their faces and asked where they are going or where they are coming from. This harassment has increased since a month,” the report quoted the residents.
The Fact Finding team made the following recommendations and demands in their report:
1. The commander in chief of the army should immediately intervene into the matter and take serious steps to provide justice to Mustafa.
2. Investigation of this incident should be done and completed by the CBI in a very short period and the report should be presented before the public as soon as possible so that justice is done to Mustafa.
3. The military officers seem to know who the culprits are, but they are shielding those criminals. The military officers should immediately court marshal those criminals and restore moral values in the army personnel.
4. Investigation officer should be given complete autonomy to handle this case and bring out the facts before the people.
5. All the parties who are interested in investigation such as civil bodies, police personnel etc. should be allowed to move freely into the cantonment area for the purpose of investigation.
6. The local civilians should be given complete protection by the government as they have threat by the military personnel.
7. The unrestrained army personnel should be put in control.
8. As it is a civil matter the state government should take the military cantonment into their possession till the matter is solved.
9. The military should be withdrawn from the areas where they are in the city limits.
10. A family member should be given a government employment immediately and Rs 20 lakh should be given to the family in the form of compensation.