HYDERABAD: During their visit to the site of the alleged encounter, the NHRC team could neither take photographs or videos, nor could they prepare a rough sketch of the scene due to “dhakka mukki” (jostling) from the huge crowd that had gathered at the spot, team members told the commission. They added that due to the unusual situation, they “ feared for their safety” and left the place immediately.
“You being police officers and surrounded by several police officers during your visit to the scene, still feared for your safety,” the commission asked. The NHRC team said that as they did not receive the site plan of the scene prepared by the IO, they had made a rough sketch of the scene’s topography, while they examined the police involved in the incident and asked them individually to point out positions of the people involved.
When they said that they couldn’t even click pictures of the bodies lying in the cordoned off area, the commission asked, “Since the place of the incident was cordoned off and as per your evidence, locals and media did not enter the cordoned area, how did crowds present at a distance deter or prevent you from performing your task.” “Only the place where the bodies were found was cordoned-off and not the entire area, including the place where the police party stood at the time of the incident,” the NHRC members replied.