A Hyderabad man claims he was allegedly assaulted by the Hyderabad police at the Bahadurpura police station on Tuesday. The man identified as Hafeez, who runs a mobile phone shop, was called to the station for questioning over a brawl that took place in front of his shop.
The allegations come barely a day after a man set himself on fire alleging police harassment at Chandrayangutta police station.
Five days before being called to the police station, Hafeez had supposedly helped pacify a fight that had broken out between several people in front of his shop. Speaking to The Hindu, Kareem, the brother of the alleged police assault victim, said that his brother had tried to stop a fight between two men and was later called to the Bahadurpura police station by Sub-inspector Madhu for questioning. However, Hafeez was allegedly beaten up inside the police station by the officer and sustained a nose-bleed, but he was not allowed to visit the hospital.
Kareem insists that his brother was not part of the fight that broke out and was only trying to stop the fight.
The New Indian Express reported that Hafeez was called to the police station over complaints filed against him and his two friends. A case was registered against him under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 323 for voluntarily causing hurt.
The Bahdurpura police inspector D Durga, speaking to the media, insists that no assault took place inside the police station. The officer stated that this was a petty case and Hafeez was called in for questioning, spoken to and let off. The officer insists that no one was assaulted or manhandled.
This is not the first case of alleged police high-handedness being reported in recent weeks.
On July 20, a man identified as Shabbir, allegedly a regular cell phone snatcher, set himself on fire within the Chandrayangutta police station premises in Hyderabad.
The police had confiscated a phone used by Shabbir which they insist was stolen. The accused on the other hand insisted that he owned the phone. A case under Section 382 for theft was also registered against him.
Shabbir, who was called in for questioning at the police station, walked in with a bottle of petrol and set himself on fire. Two officers who tried to rescue Shabbir suffered minor injuries. Shabbir was admitted to Osmania General Hospital for treatment.
In another instance of alleged police assault, on July 6, a man identified as N Narasimhulu of Papireddyguda in Keshampet under Cyberabad police commissionerate alleged that he was assaulted with a belt by the police.
The Keshampet sub-inspector K Venkateshwarulu then told the media that the man was creating nuisance in the village and was picked up to be produced before the tehsildar as a warning. The officer insisted that Narasimhulu was not assaulted.