State Human Rights Commission moved against alleged police brutality

HYDERABAD: A family of four from Medak district on Thursday approached the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) upon an allegation of police brutality.

The petitioner, K Vishnuvardhan, a resident of Thodudampally village, stated that, along with his wife and their two sons, he had gone to attend the Edupayala jatara, a religious fair held in the district on May 14. At around 6:30pm of that day, there was a minor scuffle at the venue whereupon a home guard approached the petitioner's son to inquire into the incident. According to the petitioner, the home guard not only abused his son but also hit them without any provocation when the family members failed to provide any information regarding the disturbance.

When his wife tried to intervene she, too, was abused and beaten up like the rest of the family members. Vishnuvardhan said that the home guard was later joined by his friends who took turns in thrashing them with the abuse lasting 20 minutes. According to the petitioner, some eight policemen later arrived in a jeep to whisk them away to the Papannapet police station where they were subjected to physical and mental torture. The petitioner charged that the family members kicked, abused and even spat on them before releasing them after a couple of hours. The petitioner has demanded that those involved in the incident be punished stringently and also sought compensation for the violation. Admitting the case, the commission has directed the Superintendent of Police, Medak district to probe into the incident and submit a report by June 14.


(2012-05-18/indiatimes)