HYDERABAD: Three constables and a home guard were on Tuesday suspended after a preliminary inquiry found them prima facie guilty of assaulting four NRIs at the Musheerabad police station. The internal inquiry was conducted following a complaint from one of the victims Mallapuram Vasu.
The suspended cops, M Hanumantha Rao, K Narayana, K Rajender and home guard K Suresh Kumar, will face further action depending on the investigation being conducted by Assistant Commissioner of Police (Chikkadpally) J Narsaiah. Sub-inspector V Sampath, also an accused, has been attached to the CAR headquarter pending an inquiry.
Police commissioner M Mahendar Reddy said high-handed behaviour of the police was unacceptable and directed the cops to handle cases with due care and caution without being provoked. The action was initiated against the police personnel after the NRIs, Preetham(38) of Marredpally, Nirish (32) and Nitin (31) of Musheerabad and Mallampuram Vasu of Mahendra Hills approached the State Human Rights Commission on Monday.
In their complaint, they had accused the Musheerabad police of assaulting them in the police station after detaining them for allegedly creating nuisance under the influence of alcohol. The State human rights commission had in turn directed the Commissioner to submit a probe report by July 16.
Later, a case was registered against the Musheerabad police under Sections 341 and 324 and 34 of the IPC.
Going into the details, a Blue Colts vehicle with constables and a patrol car of the Musheerabad police was sent near the Guru Nanak Care Hospital after the Command and Control at the Commissioner’s Office received a call about nuisance caused by some individuals at 2.43 a.m. on June 25.
The NRIs were found to be heavily drunk. When asked to leave, they allegedly picked up an argument. One more patrol car was later sent as the NRIs resisted attempts to take them to the police station.
A statement issued by the commissioner said, “Enraged by their (NRIs) behaviour inside the police station, the police personnel have beaten them up with fibre batons and hands causing severe bruise injuries to Mallapuram Vasu and simple injuries to others.”
On June 28, Vasu mailed a complaint to the Police Commissioner, alleging that
the Musheerabad police had demanded Rs 3 lakh bribe to let them go and attached photos of injury marks on his body to the mail. He named sub-inspectors Sampath, Sai Kumar, and SHO B Mohan Kumar in his petition to the SHRC and said they had framed false charges against his friend Preetam.
The police, meanwhile, claimed the complainant and his friends were under the influence of alcohol on the ill-fated night. While the permitted level of BAC is less than 30 mg/100 ml, the police said Preetham had 140mg, Manish112, Nitin 117 and Vasu 84 mg.