HYDERABAD: The three-member commission constituted by the Supreme Court to inquire into the 'encounter' deaths of four men, accused in the rape and murder of a Hyderabad veterinarian last year, has received 1365 affidavits. This includes the affidavits filed before the commission by the family members of the accused and the police personnel involved in the incident. However, the state government is yet to respond to the commission on the issue.
The commission, which had earlier suspended its sittings owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, explored the possibility of conducting online hearings and sittings to complete the inquiry expeditiously. But after considering several aspects, the Commission decided that virtual hearings were not feasible.
“Despite the constraints imposed by the unexpected circumstances, the Commission is committed and has been looking for different ways to complete expeditiously, the enquiry assigned to it,” informed S Sasidhar Reddy, secretary to the commission, in a release on Friday.
Following the rape and murder of the vet, four accused -- Mohammed Arif, Chintakunta Chennakeshavulu, Jolu Shiva and Jollu Naveen -- were arrested and remanded to judicial custody. A week later, when they were taken for scene reconstruction and recovery of the vet's belongings, they reportedly tried to snatch weapons from the police party and attack them, forcing the police to open fire, killing all four on the spot. Both the incidents happened at Shadnagar on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
Constituted on December 12, 2019, the commission was given six months time for completing the inquiry. Headed by former Supreme Court judge VS Sirpurkar, retired judge of Bombay High Court Rekha Baldota and former CBI director DR Karthikeyan, it held its first sitting at the Telangana High Court premises on February 3, 2020. The second sitting of the commission was scheduled in March 2020 but was suspended due to COVID-19.