HYDERABAD/SANGAREDDY: Shocking visuals of a handcuffed Lagcherla farmer being shifted to a hospital for treatment went viral on Thursday, prompting an immediate reaction from Chief Minister
A Revanth Reddy who ordered an inquiry into the atrocity; and from Director General (Prisons) Soumya Mishra who suspended Sangareddy jailer P Sanjeeva Reddy on charges of dereliction of duty. Mishra also sent a report to the Home Secretary on the prison Superintendent Santosh Kumar Roy.
The visuals show police officials and Sangareddy jail staff taking Hirya Nayak, a farmer from Lagcherla, to Sangareddy hospital in handcuffs. The chief minister expressed his anger by ordering higher officials to initiate a probe into the incident and submit a detailed report. He also warned the officials that the “people’s government” won’t tolerate such incidents.
Nayak, one of the accused in the Lagcherla attack case, was lodged in Sangareddy jail. As he was unwell, the jail authorities shifted him to the Sangareddy hospital. The farmer was later shifted to Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad.
According to Sangareddy doctors, all reports, including the ECG of the farmer, were normal. However, the doctors suggested that he be shifted to Gandhi Hospital as a precautionary measure. Hospital Superintendent Dr Anil said that Hirya Naik informed them that he suffered a heart attack in the past but he has no reports.
KTR’s condemnation
Meanwhile, BRS working president KT Rama Rao termed the handcuffing of the farmer as “cruel, inhumane and unconstitutional’.
“The vindictive Revanth Reddy government is targeting tribal farmers. The act of handcuffing is a clear violation of human rights,” Rama Rao said.
According to sources, the Sangareddy jail superintendent took the help of Balanagar (Cyberabad) police to take the farmer from Sangareddy jail to hospital while the normal practice is that the jail officials take the help of local police to provide escort to prison inmates.
Senior police officials, who noticed the deviation, suspended jailer Sanjeeva Reddy immediately.
“Articles 14, 16 and 19 of the Constitution guarantee every individual’s rights, and these actions violate those rights,” Rama Rao said. He said that Nayak suffered a second heart attack due to the lack of timely medical attention.
Rama Rao also highlighted the deteriorating health of other accused, including Raghavendra, Basappa and former MLA Patnam Narender Reddy, who have been in custody for over a month. He accused the government of failing to provide basic healthcare and acting with arrogance and vendetta. The BRS leader urged the Telangana High Court and the Governor to order an investigation and hold the government accountable.
The conspiracy angle
Meanwhile, a section in the police department suspects a conspiracy to defame the government. Their suspicion is based on reports that B Suresh, who is one of the main accused in the Lagcherla attack, allegedly spoke from prison with some people over phone on Wednesday.
Sources said that police are now trying to collect information about who Suresh spoke to and what was the nature of the conversation.