HYDERABAD: Constable R Balu Rathod, the handler of one of the accused Jollu Naveen, while deposing before the judicial commission set up to probe the Shadnagar ‘encounter killing,’ said on Thursday that they did not handcuff the accused as there were no such instructions from the superior officers.
He was asked to explain what he meant by stating the following in his affidavit — “As the accused were cooperating with the police party, we did not handcuff them and the accused were allowed to roam freely under our surveillance.” Rathod replied, “I felt the accused were cooperating with the police as they were sitting on one side and we were sitting on the other side in the room.”
The commission then asked him, “Who took the decision not to handcuff the accused even when taking them to the open field (the spot of the alleged encounter) at about 3.30 am, when it was pitch dark?” To this, he said ACP Shadnagar who was present there, did not instruct the police party to do so.
When asked why he had stated in his affidavit that the accused were not handcuffed as they were cooperating with the police party and were allowed to roam freely, Rathod said the accused had cooperated when they were in the room (at the safe house).
Rathod stated that he gave first aid to SI Venkateswarlu, who was injured in the attack by the accused, by rubbing the latter’s hands, and did not give any assistance to constable S Arvind Goud, who was also injured. “Rubbing hands was the only first aid I knew,” he said.