By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Nizamabad/Hyderabad: A fact finding report by Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee (CLMC) has termed the custodial death of Shaikh Hyder of Nizamabad, a “blot on the face of Telangana state,” alleging “nexus” between police and politicians.
Hyder was arrested for his alleged involvement in a case of theft of a cycle last Saturday. The station house officer (SHO) claimed that he tried to escape by climbing the compound wall but sustained injuries and died at a hospital on the same night, according IANS.
Fact Finding Team of CLMC led by General Secretary Lateef Mohd. Khan,
Photographs of Hyder’s dead body available with TCN, however, tells a different story. On the whole body particularly on back and on feet there are marks that proves that he was brutally beaten. TCN is not publishing those photos as a policy though.
Family members of Hyder told the fact finding team that Hyder was picked by the Intelligence, adding that when they reached the local police station enquiring about their son, after about half an hour, they saw “two policemen brought Hyder dragging, he seemed to be lifeless, we didn’t know whether he was alive or not and another policeman called an auto and sent three of us to government hospital.”
They took Hyder to the government hospital in an auto that police called, however, doctor declared him dead.
Locals told the CLMC team that “everything was planned and arranged, from auto to ambulance and Nizamabad to Hyderabad.”
What is intriguing is the manner in which police tried to brush aside the case. According to a local youth who is politically active, but did not want to be named, informed the fact finding committee that in the night of 21st March the circle inspector Srinivasulu called him at police station, two corporators/councilors were also present there.
“They showed the photo of the deceased and asked whether he can handle the situation? Then the youth asked what is the matter, the police said, ‘this youth died in police custody but you have to say that he died by jumping the wall,” he told the CLMC team.
After furore, Superintendent of Police S. Chandrasekhar Reddy on Sunday placed the SHO and a head constable under suspension. He also announced a probe into the incident.
Earlier, the Andhra Pradesh State Minorities Commission too took serious note of the matter and has sought reports from the police superintendent and collector.
The CLMC Fact finding team comprising Lateef Mohd. Khan, Ashala Srinivas, Kaneez Fathima, Adv. Greeshma Rai, Adv. Mohd. Ismail Khan, Adv. Kausar Shaik, Charan K.S., Rahul Thal visited Nizamabad district to find out the details of custodial death of a Muslim youth Shaikh Hyder, a daily wage labourer who died in the town-1 police station of Nizamabad district of Telangana state.
Click here Full Fact Finding Report of CLMC on Custodial Death of Shaikh Hyder