The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Rammohan was murdered by police, says APCLC

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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Rammohan was murdered by police, says APCLC

Staff Reporter

Fact-finding panel speaks to eyewitnesses and kin of slain rowdy-sheeter

Rammohan’s was ready to surrender, says panel
He was fired at from behind while he was running

ANANTAPUR: The Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee (APCLC) has termed the death of Golla Rammohan, a rowdy-sheeter and a follower of late Paritala Ravindra, in an ‘encounter’ with the police on May 22 as murder committed by the police.

A fact-finding committee of APCLC and the Organisation for Protection of Democratic Rights (OPDR) comprising APCLC general secretary Prof. S. Seshaiah, and others enquired in the Sangameshnagar area where Rammohan had taken shelter, spoken to eye-witnesses and other people there and also spoke to the father and the brother of the deceased. As the police account was not believable and as media and the Telugu Desam Party leaders expressed several doubts over the ‘encounter’ the team had taken up the exercise to find facts.

After interacting with several persons the civil rights committee came to a conclusion that Rammohan was not killed in an exchange of fire but was murdered by the police according to a well-hatched plan.

The panel found that Rammohan had taken shelter in a house opposite to ‘Praja Vaidyashala’ in Sangameshnagar for three days before he was killed. He was taking treatment for an injury on one of his legs, according to residents of the locality.

Two policemen in mufti went to the house in which Rammohan was taking shelter around 6 p.m. on May 22 and were speaking to both Rammohan and their higher officials over cell phone, eye-witnesses told the committee.

However, a large posse of police surrounded the place a few minutes later and terrorised the residents.

Rammohan told the police that he was willing to surrender but the police ignored his plea and told him to come out of the house.

As he started running the police fired at him and he fell down, a few eyewitnesses told the fact-finding panel. The police again fired at Rammohan even as he lay on the ground.

Fearing threat to Rammohan’s life his friend had called his brother Sridhar over cell phone after the police entered the house he was staying in.

‘No weapons’

“But, he was shot dead even before I could reach there,” Sridhar told the panel. Those who had given shelter to Rammohan said he neither had any gun nor bombs in his possession and the police had kept a short weapon beside his body after he was shot dead.

A person standing outside hurled a couple of bombs on the ground and kept a bucket with bombs there. Eyewitnesses said that even the person who had hurled bombs could be a policeman.

The facts indicate that the police liquidated Rammohan with a perfect plan after learning his whereabouts, the panel stated in its report.

The police had no right to kill any person including a criminal and it was for the law to punish criminals after a proper trial. The panel sought filing of case under Section 302 of IPC against all the police involved in the killing.

The panel comprised of K. Vijay Kumar and K. Nageswarachary of APCLC, M. Esanna and C. Balanallappa of OPDR and Veeranarappa of ‘Pattana Pedala Sangham’.

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