HYDERABAD: V Surender, then ACP of Shadnagar, deposed before the three-member judicial commission probing the death of four persons, who were accused in the rape and murder of a veterinarian, in a ‘police encounter’. He said that the NHRC team had threatened him into signing his statement recorded by them. “They said that if they wrote a report, I would be suspended,” he said.
After the alleged encounter, a team of NHRC officials had recorded Surender’s statement at the State police academy. Two to three persons from the NHRC were present while his statement was being recorded. This included NHRC SSP Manjil Saini, who had led the team.
“I did not complain about the threat. I just informed DCP Shamshabad N Prakash Reddy about it. He simply listened and did not say anything. I decided to let it go as I didn’t want to make an issue out of it,” Surender said.He further said that the NHRC members had written down his statements differently. “They did not record what I had stated. When I pointed that out to them, an argument ensued,” he said.
When Surender said that he did not go through the statement after that, the commission asked him: “If you didn’t read the statement, then how can you say that the NHRC team wrote something else as your statement?” He responded that the statement was read out to him. “Because they were threatening me, I could not do anything. I just signed it,” he said.
Surender then said that the interrogation reports in the case were prepared by the Assistant IO, and that he “did not have any idea if they are part of the case diary”. The material objects in the case were seized on November 28, 2019, and submitted to FSL on December 3, 2019. When asked why it as delayed, Surender denied that there was any delay.
Two writ petitions filed in High Court
In the Shadnagar ‘encounter’ case, two writ petitions have been filed in the High Court by Konda Narasimha Reddy, Inspector of Police, and Vasam Surender, DSP-CID, challenging the rejection of their plea to be treated as independent witnesses. The inquiry commission appointed by the Supreme Court had on Thursday orally rejected their plea and the petitioners therefore approached the High Court