Medak custodial death: Muslim leaders demand inquiry by HC

Muslim delegations submitted memoranda demanding a free and fair inquiry by a sitting High Court judge into the Medak Police torture victim Mohammed Khadeer Khan’s death.

The memorandums were presented to the Bhuvanagiri and Rangareddy district collectors to be forwarded to Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR).

“A very sad part of this incident is that when the matter came out in public Smt Rohini Priyadarshi IPS Superintendent of Police without any investigation of inquiry denied police torture and supported her subordinates and tried to save them,” said the memo calling for the suspension of the superintendent during the inquiry.

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) party vice president Mohammed Hamed, BRS party general secretary Shaker Baig, BRS party spokesman Syed Abdul Rawoif from Jalpally Municipality met the district collector of Rangareddy and submitted a memorandum demanding an inquiry into the death of Mohammed Khadeer Khan Medak Police and asked for ex-gratia to be given to his family.

Yadadri Bhuvanagiri District Muslim Joint Action Committee (JAC) submitted a memorandum to the Bhuvanagiri district collector, demanding a free & fair inquiry by a sitting High Court judge into the Medak police torture incident.

The Muslim leaders demanded that a compensation of Rs 25 lakhs, a double bedroom flat, and a government job should be given to the family of Khadeer Khan.

The memo also stated that the sub-inspector and constables responsible for the death of Khadeer Khan should be dismissed and arrested for murder under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Daily wage laborer, Mohammad Khadeer, 35, succumbed to the injuries he had sustained due to torture by police.

In a statement, while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Medak, he alleged that he was kept in custody for five days and beaten up by policemen though he kept telling them that he was innocent.

“The cops said the person involved looks like me,” he said. Khadeer Khan was taken from his sister’s house in Medak to the police station. He was picked up under the suspicion of being involved in a theft case.

The police let him off on February 2. Due to the alleged torture, Khadeer could not stand on his feet, and his kidneys were also damaged. His wife Siddeshwari alleged that police used third-degree methods on him. On February 9, he was admitted to a hospital in Medak.

As Khadeer’s condition kept deteriorating, he was referred to Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad for better treatment. However, he succumbed to his injuries on February 17 and is survived by his wife and two children.

Khadeer’s death triggered public outrage. Local Muslim community leaders urged Bharat Rastra Samithi (BRS) MLA M. Padma Devender Reddy to take action against the policemen involved.

Subsequently, the MLA spoke with the Medak Superintendent of Police (SP) Rohini Priyadarshini, demanding an investigation into the incident.

Circle inspector Madhu, sub-inspector Rajasekhar and constables Prashanth and Pavan Kumar of Medak town have been suspended, said Medak Superintendent of Police Rohini Priyadarshini on Sunday.

AIMIM MLA from Hyderabad, Kausar Mohiuddin visited Medak and attended the funeral on Saturday morning. He slammed the police for the restrictions imposed on the funeral and questioned if Khadeer was a “naxalite or terrorist”.

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president A Revanth Reddy on Sunday demanded the government provide ex gratia of fifty lakh rupees to the kin of the deceased.

Congress leader Mohammed Ali Shabbir on Sunday demanded that the Telangana government set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe into the death of Khadeer Khan.