By TCN News,
Hyderabad: The Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee (CLMC) on Wednesday expressed its “anguish on police brutalities” in Telangana, demanding impartial probe and urging the Judiciary to come forward to protect the Muslims prisoners in different jails across the state.
Telangana police on Tuesday morning shot dead five Muslim youths, accused in terror cases while they were being shifted from Warangal prison to Hyderabad Criminal court for a trial. Policemen claimed to open fire when the accused tried to snatch a weapon from a policeman in the running vehicle between Aler and Jangaon, about 80 km from Hyderabad in an area bordering Warangal and Nalgonda districts. However, their families, lawyers and civil rights activists find the police version questionable and have termed it as a ‘revenge’ and ‘retaliation’ against the death of cops in another encounter few days back.
“It is a matter of deep concern for the whole civil society that five youth who were in the judicial custody, hand cuffed, were killed by the police in cold blooded manner while bringing them to the court of law,” a press statement released by CLMC said, adding, “The story planted by the top brass of police is nothing but a bundle of lies and it seems that high level police officers already planned the killing of five youths to send the message to the Muslim community that their lives are based on the mercy of the police. It is a clear act of suppression. In this killing a particular mind set is working and the Telangana police are completely under the influence of fascist mindset.”
The press conference was attended by Bojja Tarakam, Senior Advocate; Maulana Abdul Raheem Qureshi, Secretary, All India Muslim Personal Law Board; Raju, PDM; Advocate Narayan Rao, CLC; K.Sajaya, Anveshi; Advocate Greeshma; and few Muslim youths who were earlier illegally detained.
The recent custodial murders of Nizamabad, Miryalguda, Ranga Reddy and Sangareddy, encounter killings, killing of prisoners, cordon search, illegal detentions all these clearly indicate that nothing has changed in the newly formed state of Telangana, they pointed out, adding that the human rights violations are at its peak in the state.
“Telangana state has become a police state and it seems that Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister have become sub-ordinates to the police personnel,” the statement added.
Speakers at the conference wondered that K.Chandrasekhar Rao, Chief Minister of Telangana state, who had given assurances to the Muslim community during the Telangana movement, has now turned off his face and playing in the hands of police.
CLMC said that they have received information from Telangana and Andhra regions that police personnel are conducting cordon searches in the Muslim populated localities and detaining hundreds of Muslims youth who are migrants from Bihar, Bengal and Uttar Pradesh and refugees from Myanmar/Burma.
At present 135 people have been illegally detained in Hyderabad only on suspicious basis and many more are in illegal custody in Andhra and Telangana districts. It seems that state has given free hands and license to the police to suppress them in the name of terrorists. There is total impunity on police brutalities.
CLMC also drew attention towards the bias role of media in reporting on terror and counter-terror operations, where they blindly follow the police version, without ross-checking basic facts.
Senior advocate Bojja Tarakam said that police have said that they fired in self-defence, but not a single cop has been injured, adding that photographs released by police themselves show the deceased to be handcuffed to seats.
Maulana Abdul Raheem Qureshi reminded that these youth had apprehensions since the beginning, adding that this was to the chief justice by Viqar’s father six months ago.
CLMC has put forward the following demands:
1. The chief minister of Telangana state should act as per the assurance given or resign from the post.
2. As the prisoners were in judicial custody, judiciary is responsible for the safety of prisoners to reach the court, so the judiciary should take immediate action against the police personnel who killed the prisoners.
3. Judiciary of Telangana state must come forward to protect the Muslim prisoners as they are in judicial custody. Judiciary should take action through suo moto.
4. Release the illegally detained Muslims in Telangana and Andhra regions.
5. Media should stop labelling Muslims as terrorists and anti-nationals. Because of the anti-Muslim propaganda of the media, minds are becoming prejudiced. These 5 murders is also the result of media trial. Media should play responsible role.