HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court has taken cognisance of a letter based on a report published in The New Indian Express on July 17, 2023, with the headline “Alleged Custodial Death in Gachibowli Station” and converted it into a suo motu writ petition which will be heard by the bench of the Acting Chief Justice in the coming days.
The letter, written by Rapolu Bhaskar, an advocate, mentioned the death of a security guard allegedly in police custody.
Nitish Kumar, hailing from Bihar and employed by a construction company in Nanakramguda, Gachibowli, was involved in a scuffle with his fellow workers who were consuming liquor. Subsequently, Nitish was taken into custody and detained at the Gachibowli police station for three days for interrogation.
It is alleged that due to the use of coercive methods by the Gachibowli police, Nitish succumbed to his injuries within 10 minutes of being brought to the Gandhi Hospital. However, the police claimed that Nitish’s death was caused by a heart attack.
Rapolu Bhaskar, as the advocate petitioner, sought compensation for the dependents of Nitish, asserting that his death was a result of police torture. Additionally, Bhaskar sought a thorough investigation into the death of Nitish and action against the police officials involved in the incident.
The petitioner’s advocate also highlighted the recurring occurrence of lockup deaths due to torture in Telangana. Taking cognisance of the letter, the court issued notices to the Principal Secretary (Home), the DGP, the Police Commissioner, and the Gachibowli Station House Officer.