Hyderabad: Four policemen were suspended on Tuesday following charges of illegally detaining and torturing four youths, including two Indians who are permanent residents of Ireland.
Hyderabad city police commissioner ordered the suspension of the cops involved in the incident of June 25 night following a notice from the state human rights commission. The policemen were part of the group which subjected the four people to physical torture at the Musheerabad police station.
The two NRIs, M. Vast and M. Nitin, approached the state human rights commission with the complaint that policemen illegally detained them and two other friends, took them to Musheerabad police station and tortured them. “Our smart phones were taken away and they demanded a bribe of Rs3 lakh [Rs300,000 or Dh17,316] to let us go,” said Vasu who said he had a harrowing time at the police station for 16 hours.
“When we were dropping our friend at Musheerabad cross roads the policemen stopped us, dragged us out of our car. When we objected they took us to the police station and a group of 15 policemen assaulted us,” Vasu said.
The next day, when he went to the Gandhi Hospital for treatment of the injuries, he was asked to bring a copy of the police complaint.
Afraid of another round of reprisals from the police he got himself admitted into a private hospital and lodged a complaint with the Human Rights Commission. He alleged that the policemen were drunk at the time.
Later Musheerabad Police station registered a complaint against unknown police officers and the city police commissioner Mahinder Reddy ordered a probe.
The policemen on duty at the time, on the other hand, alleged that it was Vasu and his friends who were drunk and had attacked the policemen.
The SHRC has ordered the police commissioner to submit a report before July 16.