Even as pressure continues to mount on the Telangana Government to order a judicial probe into the killings of five undertrials, angered mob resorted to stone-pelting in Hyderabad on Friday. Tension prevailed around Charminar area as the youth returning from Friday prayers clashed with the police in Moghalpura and Sultan Shahi areas injuring a couple of policemen.
They also targeted a police outpost in Moghalpura. The police resorted to lathicharge to disperse the crowd. Police took about 40 people into custody. Similar incidents had taken place after the funeral of one of the five victims.
While police said the undertrials were killed when they tried to flee while they were being brought to the court from Warangal jail on Tuesday last. The demand for the probe got a boost when National Human Rights Commission stepped in and sought report from the DGP and the Chief Secretary in two weeks.
“Prima facie it appears that this is an instance of blatant use of disproportionate force resulting in loss of lives of five undertrials and gross violation of human rights,” NHRC said. The “encounter” at Aler in Nalgonda district of Telangana and the killing of 20 woodcutters at Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh have found their echo at the international level with Amnesty International also raising the issue.
The Amnesty has asked both the State Governments to order an independent probe in the two incidents. Referring to the statement of the Telangana Police that the under-trials tried to snatch the assault rifles from the policemen, the Amnesty said in its Press release, “Video footage given to Amnesty International India shows the five undertrials inside the van being handcuffed”.
Meanwhile, DGP Anurag Sharma and Hyderabad police commissioner met the Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao to discuss the law and order situation. The top level meeting was held a day after a delegation of Muslim leader, including Hyderabad member of Parliament Asaduddin Owaisi, met the Chief Minister to demand a probe by sitting High Court judge or the CBI.