Jawans’ skirmishes with civilians in Hyderabad not new

Hyderabad: For the civilian residents of Mehdipatnam and Golconda areas, sandwiched between several army establishments and camps, the alleged burning of an 11 year old boy inside an army garrison has come as a grim reminder of several past incidents by army men.

Army personnel from the same garrison were involved in attacking and plundering a Rythu Bazar or farmers’ market in Mehdipatnam area on May 12, 1999, which subsequently earned them a rap and a hefty fine from the National Human Rights Commission.

In another incident on February 3, 1994, jawans of Garhwal Rifles of 47 Battallion had attacked and burnt eight houses in Langar House area and also targeted a police station and abducted 23 policemen. The violence was triggered after two missing children of a Lance Nayak were found dead and their bodies recovered from a well in the area.

Three days after the two children went missing, army jawans led by a junior commissioned officer M. N. Rawat of 9 Garhwal Rifles led 50 jawans in attacking the Langar House Police station. They beat up the policemen including assistant commissioner of police Srihari and inspector Madan Mohan Rao and took them away forcibly.

They later turned their ire towards the Mohammadi Lines residential area and burnt down eight houses as they suspected their involvement in abduction of the kids. They broke open doors, sprinkled diesel and set the eight houses on fire.

Subsequent police investigations revealed the abduction and murder of the two children were the result of an extramarital affair in the family of the Lance Nayak.

Even before memories of this outrage could fade, the army personnel from Mehdipatnam Garrison attacked and plundered a nearby Rythu Bazar on May 12, 1999 resulting in a loss of Rs70 lakhs to farmers.

The army men were angry farmers had illegally occupied defence land. Some 30 army jawans had participated in the predawn swoop on the market when farmers were away. They pulled down all shops and threw out vegetable stocks.

When a handful of farmers tried to stop the jawans, they were beaten black and blue. The incident left farmers and the civilian administration in shock.

Then Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu lodged a strong protest with the Center, specially defence minister George Fernandes.

After the (National Human Rights Commission) NHRC issued a notice, the defence officials justified the action of the army men to forcibly evict the farmers “because of backtracking on the assurance by the state government to vacate the land after the specified period for which it was given by the army,” and denied violation of any human rights.”

However, the then district collector said “hundreds of military personnel demolished properties erected at Rythu Bazaar when she and police personnel were silent spectators. Around 80 farmers were present at the time of the incident. They were manhandled resulting in injuries to four farmers.”

The NHRC ordered the defence ministry to pay Rs12 lakh to the farmers evicted forcibly.

Subsequently the defence ministry allotted the piece of land to the state government and Ruthy Bazar continues even today.