The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : ‘Lock-up’ death: HRF demands prosecution of police

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 07, 2009
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

‘Lock-up’ death: HRF demands prosecution of police

VISAKAHAPTNAM: The Human Rights Forum has demanded that criminal prosecution be initiated against the sub-inspector of police at Parawada PS and other police personnel for Saturday’s custodial death of lorry driver Pilli Satyanarayana.

A fact-finding team of the Human Rights Forum visited Parawada police station on Sunday and spoke to the SI as well as his subordinates and also family members of the deceased at their home in Kalinganagar in Madhavadhara. The team consisted of HRF State general secretary V.S. Krishna, Visakhapatnam district president M Sarat, district vice-president P. Suryanarayana and member Ramakrishna. According to HRF team, the version of the police that Satyanarayana hanged himself in the police station bathroom at about 10.30 a.m. on Saturday is totally false. It was true that Satyanarayana was arrested late on Friday night for rash and negligent driving near the Desapatrunipalem checkpost and was brought to the police station. An FIR was lodged under sections 279 and 336 stating him as accused and he was kept at the station itself.

“The police say they allowed Satyanarayana to go to the toilet on Saturday and they grew suspicious after he did not come back. They checked and found that he had hanged himself. Even this false contention of theirs is also riddled with inconsistencies. While the SI stated to the HRF team that Satyanarayana was found dead by hanging in the bathroom, other police personnel said he was found alive and rushed to the hospital but in vain,” Mr. Krishna said.

“The criminal investigation into the case against the police personnel of Parawada PS should be done by an agency as independent as possible of the local police. Satyanarayana is a poor Scheduled Caste person and his family members must be compensated by the government with an amount of not less than Rs.5 lakh.”

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh