The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Task Force policemen ‘beat man to death’

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Wednesday, Oct 08, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Task Force policemen ‘beat man to death’

Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD: A 50-year-old man facing several criminal charges died on Tuesday at his house in Hydernagar of Secunderabad allegedly after he was beaten up by plainclothes policemen of the Task Force.

The Mahankali police registered a murder case following a complaint filed by Raju, son of the deceased person, Ganesh. However, no names of the Task Force policemen figured in the First Information Report (FIR). According to Mr. Raju, three persons who identified themselves as from the Task Force forced their way into the house around 6.30 a.m.

Extortion cases

They picked up his father and tried to whisk him away even as the latter resisted. The policemen claimed that Ganesh was wanted in cases of extortion and criminal intimidation and that they wanted to interrogate him. Mr. Raju charged that his father was severely beaten and as he collapsed, they fled the spot. Family members rushed him to Gandhi Hospital where he was declared dead.

But the Task Force DCP V.B. Kamalasan Reddy refuted the charges.

Confirming that a Sub-Inspector and two constables went to Ganesh’s house, he condemned the allegations of policemen beating up the man. He maintained that on a tip-off some naxalites of Praja Shakti group were taking shelter in the victims’ house, the TF team rushed there.

“On being told that he was wanted in some cases, Ganesh began banging his head against the wall and collapsed within minutes,” the DCP said stating they later learnt Ganesh suffered heart-strokes in the past.

According to Mr. Reddy, Ganesh had allegedly hired two surrendered naxalites earlier to settle a land dispute he had with a businessman Aravind Srimal a few months ago. Subsequently, one of the two naxalites was arrested while the other managed to escape.

The court rejected Ganesh’s anticipatory bail twice and he was evading the police since then.

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Andhra Pradesh