The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Police action baffles OU students, officials

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Sep 17, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Police action baffles OU students, officials

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, SEPT. 16. Invoking the Prevention of Atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act by the police against six students of Osmania University Engineering College for allegedly beating up a youth, Jawahar, accused of attempting to steal things from a room in Ganga hostel, is snowballing into a controversy.

Several students and some college authorities are crying foul and opined that the Osmania University police have acted in haste while invoking the Act. Incidentally, no case has been booked against the victim, Jawahar, despite students pointing out to "concrete evidence".

Inconsistent replies

A hosteller, Ramakrishna, claims to have spotted Jawahar leaving the hostel clutching a book on September 14. When questioned he reportedly gave inconsistent replies, arousing suspicions among the inmates, who were already complaining of missing mobile phones, books and gold chains from hostel rooms. "They were enraged when Jawahar claimed he had come to meet Surender, a boarder in room no. 12, because none with that name was living in the hostel," said the Additional Chief Warden, Laxminarayana, who rushed to the hostel after learning about the incident. By the time he reached, a group of students had allegedly beaten up Jawahar.

Missing `kin'

Suspicions further gained strength when the hostellers found the bus pass of another student, Chandrashekhar, whom Jawahar claimed was his cousin. Within an hour, the students traced Chandrashekhar in Ramnagar, who reportedly said his bus pass was stolen. After questioning, the students and the warden traced a couple, whom Jawahar claimed were his brother and sister-in-law, over phone.

Students framed?

"With none turning up despite explaining Jawahar's misdeed, we called the police," the warden said. A group of students, reportedly known to Jawahar, turned up at the police station soon after he was taken there. "It was only then that Jawahar alleged that he was forced to indulge in oral sex and was abused in the name of his caste by some students," he explained.

Even as the students, who came to the police station to lodge a complaint, pleaded not guilty, the police invoked the Act. "I asked them to book cases against both parties and not invoke the special Act, but in vain," Mr. Laxminarayana said.

Appeal to

city police chief

The OU Engineering College has reportedly decided to write to the City Police Commissioner, R.P. Singh, to drop the Special Act in Jawahar's case taking into consideration of the future of the accused students. Sources said the college officials appealed to the Commissioner to ascertain facts before proceeding with the case.

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