In a shocking incident depicting both police brutality and custodial torture, Mohammed Khadeer Khan, aged 35, died on February 16 while receiving treatment at the Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad after being allegedly subjected to third-degree custodial torture. The 35-year-old had been detained by the Medak Police on suspicion of theft.

On January 29, Khadeer Khan was apprehended by the Medak Police in Hyderabad from Yakutpura as a suspect in a theft case. He was illegally detained for five days while being subjected to third-degree torture before being placed under house arrest without access to medical care.On February 2, the police had released him and asked him to lie about his detention.

A video has been posted on social media wherein Khadeer Khan is seen lying on a hospital bed. He recalls the brutal torture that he was subjected to, starts by providing that the police had kept accusing him of theft. Even after he had refused of committing any crime, they brought him to Medak police station via a car. He states that for 2 hours, he was hung upside down and beaten by the police. He says that he was beaten by sticks on his feet and hands.

He then says that he has not been able to move his hands and feet since then. He further states that the police let him go, after having subjected him to custodial torture, because they were “doubtful” regarding his involvement. He provided that he had been detained on January 29, and was let go on February 2. On his release, he stated in a declaration, that the police had tried to coerce him into lying that he was detained the same morning of his release.  

In his statement (dying declaration?), Khadeer also said that they wanted him to sign a statement saying that he was detained and released on the same day, and when he refused, someone else did it. He then showed the person who was interviewing him that his hand is not functioning.

He then proceeds to take the names of the police personnel who had illegally detained him, specifying the ones who had tortured him the most. Khadeer then says that even though he kept reiterating that he had not committed this crime, the two police officers kept beating and torturing him repeatedly, without paying any head to what he was saying. He also says that his sister’s name was also ruined in Hyderabad.

The video can be viewed here:

On January 29th, Mohd Khadeer Khan was apprehended by Medak Police in Hyderabad from Yakutpura as a suspect in a theft case. He was illegally detained for 5 days while being subjected to third-degree torture before being placed under house arrest without access to medical care. pic.twitter.com/hMiQTrLudy

— Meer Faisal (@meerfaisal01) February 17, 2023

On Thursday, February 16, while availing treatment at the state-run Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad, Khadeer succumbed to his injuries. His wife, Siddeshwari, provided that the deceased’s body has been preserved in the hospital for the autopsy report, which can establish the reasons for his death. His wife said that Khadeer suffered multiple fractures, dislocation of the spine and renal fracture as a result of the custodial torture.

Despite the allegations made by the deceased’s wife and the graphic details provided by Khadeer about the torture he endured, the police are yet to file a First Information Report about his death, and the autopsy has also been delayed. Activist Ahmed, the Medak unit secretary of the civil rights organization Human Rights Forum (HRF), stated that because the wife is Hindu, the police are investigating the petition for a FIR. According to the News Minute, the autopsy can only be performed after the police file a case, and they are awaiting the approval of the Medak Town police.

Ahmed also stated that the deceased was initially admitted to Medak Government Hospital. However, as his health deteriorated, he was transferred to Hyderabad for better care. “He was initially admitted to a private hospital, but we later transferred him to Gandhi Hospital,” Ahmed explained as he spoke to the News Minute. 

As reported by the News Minute, Siddeshwari had filed a petition to the District Collector on February 9 against the Medak district Superintendent Rohini Priyadarshini, Sub Inspector Rajasekhar, and two constables – Pavan and Prashanth. His wife also claimed that Khadeer was tortured and forced to confess to the crime, and that Khadeer couldn’t walk because of his injuries.

The DSP, has however, denied any foul play in Khadeer’s death. “We had arrested him by following the procedure. He was released after presenting him before the Mandal Revenue Officer. It could be that he died of sickness,” the DSP had told The News Minute. 

Thus, while a young Muslim man is dead, the police is protected with the prevalent climate of impunity available to them. While it is unclear regarding the role that Khadeer’s religion played in the torture that he was subjected to, we cannot rule the possibility of targeted bias, given the current socio-political environment.

In the recent budget session of the Parliament, the Union Government had provided statistics on the number of people that had died in custody in the year 2022. As per the answer provided by the Union minister of state for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai, across the country, the number of persons who died in police custody rose from 100 in 2020-21 to 175 in 2021-22. He had also provided that financial relief worth Rs 5.80 crore has been granted to victims in 201 cases, while disciplinary action has been taken in one case.

Human rights of the minorities and marginalized communities, and those who stand at the intersection of both, are violated by those in power on a daily basis. It takes years for the kin of the deceased many years to prove that a crime was committed against them, and to attain the (meagre) monetary benefits that are granted to them by the government. In most of these cases, the police officers accused of committing the crime are rather suspended for saving face, or not subjected to any punishment.

For a country that claims to be a welfare state, whose rights are we actually protecting?

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In a horrific video that quickly went viral, Himank Bansal, a student at the ICFAI Business School in Dontanpally, Hyderabad was beaten and ragged by other students at the school and made to chant “Allahu Akbar” and “Jai Mata Di.”

The group of students are allegedly seen assaulting Bansal in the attack footage that was widely circulated on social media. In the video, the accused are heard allegedly threatening to beat him into a coma to “correct his ideology” after they allegedly forced him to shout religious slogans.

The videos can be watched here: 

The boy was assaulted bcz he is a Hindu pic.twitter.com/MtWW01VAXW

— ವಾಲಿ (@bhairav_hara) November 12, 2022

 The first-year student was stripped, abused, and forced to consume certain chemicals for making comments against the Prophet. The case was registered after Bansal approached the police complaining of being harassed by 15-20 individuals in his hostel room.

According to his account in the complaint, in a conversation with a female friend of his, he had made derogatory comments about Prophet Mohammad, which was allegedly then circulated by her to the accused; which is why they assaulted him.

In his complaint, given to police on November 11, Bansal stated that the incident occurred on November 1. According to the complaint, between 15 and 20 guys broke into his dorm room and attacked him while accusing him of hurting people’s religious feelings. He was physically assaulted and made to chant religious slogans while the attackers threatened him and his family. He claimed that he was being forced to remove his pants and that when he refused, he was made to consume chemicals. Bansal named many people in his complaint with respect to the assault. Bansal stated that he was also sexually assaulted, with one student trying to rip his clothes while others repeatedly punched him in the genitals.

The complaint may be read here:

The FIR, registered at Shankarpalli police station, has invoked charges under IPC Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 342 (wrongful confinement), 450 (trespassing), 323 (causing hurt) 506 (criminal intimidation), read with Section 4 of Telangana Prohibition of Ragging Act of 2011.

Post this video getting viral, hashtags such as #hindusunderattack and #jagohindu started trending on twitter.

On November 14, Cyberabad Police informed that the eight accused in this case have been arrested and sent to police custody. Legal action has been initiated against nine members of the college management for the incident, police said, as per MSN.

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Tribal youths beaten, tonsured for entering pandal: Jharkand 

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Hyderabad: The city police on Wednesday night barged into several homes and dragged out Muslim youth in and around Shalibanda on as protests against suspended BJP MLA swelled over his derogatory remarks on Prophet Muhammad. The peaceful atmosphere that prevailed earlier in the day came to an end as over 50 people protesting against Raja Singh were taken into custody.

Heavy stone pelting was also reported near Asha Talkies at Shalibanda in the night around 9 pm by protestors, who came out in large numbers at Shalibanda which has become the hub of protests. The protestors, who were unwilling to listen to the police, tried to reach Shalibanda from anywhere they could. The police also resorted to lathi charge on protestors at Charminar as well.

The angry youth at Shalibanda were demanding the arrest of Raja Singh after he passed derogatory comments against Prophet Muhammad in a video released on August 22. Some of the Muslim youth who were arrested also said that the police barged into their home and picked them up in spite of them not being a part of the protests. Local AIMIM corporate Muzaffar rushed to the spot soon after this was reported.

On Wednesday night, the Hyderabad police first detained a few dozen protestors first around 7:30 – 8 pm. Following that, a few hundred then turned up to protest demanding the release of those who were picked up. Soon, the police also was losing patience as the protest grew, and the cops resorted to lathi charge. It was then followed by heavy stone pelting by protestors.

In spite of several warnings by the Hyderabad police to stay indoors, angry Muslim youth have been out on the streets protesting against Raja Singh. The suspended BJP MLA was arrested on August 23 after his remarks on Prophet Muhammad. However, he received bail the same day, which enraged many.

On Wednesday, the Hyderabad police shut all shops and establishments in the Old City before 8 pm. Owners of establishments have been told that the process to down shutters will begin from 7 pm for the next few days at least. Protests against remarks on Prophet Muhammad are likely to continue till Raja Singh is arrested.

All shops shut by 8 pm in Old City

A day after violent protests broke out on Tuesday (August 23) following the arrest and subsequent release of T Raja Singh, the police on Wednesday night shut all shops and establishments in the Old City. Owners of establishments have been told that the process to down shutters will begin from 7 pm for the next few days at least.

The Hyderabad police’s move in anticipation of protests taking an ugly turn in the Muslim-dominated areas after Raja Singh made controversial remarks against the Prophet Muhammad. Further, patrolling at petrol bunks in the Old City will take place. Fuel stations were also made to shut down on Tuesday as well.

Raja Singh has been booked under sections like 153-A, 188, 295-A, 298, 505(1)(B)(C), 505(2), 506, 504, etc of the IPC in eight different cases. His statements on Prophet Muhammad were similar to what suspended BJP spokesperson also said.

Sequence of events

Raja Singh’s derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad were posted in a Youtube video on the night of August 22. It has been taken down since. Raja Singh posted it in retaliation to the Telangana government allowing comedia Munawar Faruqui perform in Hyderabad on August 20. He had threatened to disrupt the show, but was prevented from doing so by the police.

Raja Singh then took to Youtube, and posted his own video made derogatory statements on Prophet Muhammad , which he called a “comedy”. Protests erupted the same day around midnight and continued on August 23 following which the BJP MLA was arrested. The situation got worse in the night when scores of protestors remained on the roads. The remained tense on Wednesday as well.

What Raja Singh said

The suspended BJP MLA passed several derogatory comments against Muslims and Prophet Muhammad in a Youtube video. He was essentially unwilling to let go of the fact that standup comic Munawar Faruqui was allowed to hold a show in the city last week.

Protests began on the night of August 22 itself, with angry youth demanding his arrest outside city police commissioner CV Anand’s office. It continued on Tuesday and intensified after he was released on bail. BJP chief spokesperson for Telangana Krishna Saagar Rao told Siasat.com that his party respects all religions and faiths. “We are a national party and we don’t support the statements of Raja Singh or hate speech,” he stated clarifying that the BJP does not support Singh’s remarks on Prophet Muhammad.

At the end of the video, after making derogatory comments against Prophet Muhammad, Raja Singh said that whatever he uttered was “comedy”. The MLA said he also didn’t like what he said. The video was uploaded on Shree Ram Channel Telangana (now made private).

Courtesy: The Daily Siasat

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Image Courtesy:worrydot.com

A brutal murder of a young man who had married a woman from a different faith was reported from Hyderabad on Wednesday. The victim, 25-year-old B Nagaraju had married 23-year-old Ashrin Sulthana a.k.a. Pallavi on January 22 this year, after having known each other for years, stated news reports.

Nagaraju was stabbed to death at the Saroornagar Tahsildar office in Hyderabad, reportedly by a bike-borne assailant. The murder is being reported as a case of so called ‘honour killing’, that is a murder carried out by the couple’s families or on the behest of the families who claim their so called ‘honour’ has been defiled by the marriage.

According to news reports, the main accused has been arrested, and some other suspects detained; members of the girl’s family, are reportedly among them. CNN-News18 reported that according to ACP P Sreedhar Reddy, “The brother and brother-in-law of the girl had been against the union,” and Nagaraju was stabbed to death by an “unknown person riding a bike at the Saroornagar Tahsildar office at 9 pm on Wednesday night.” Even though the attacker escaped, “many onlookers took pictures of the dead body and videotaped the incident on their phones.”

Nagaraju’s relatives also staged a demonstration, accusing his wife’s family of being behind the murder, and now “tensions in the region have risen” stated news reports. According to reports, the young couple were also attacked with an iron rod, and one of the assailants then “stabbed Nagaraju several times, killing him on the spot.” 

The crime was also recorded on CCTV cameras installed nearby. The woman was rushed to a hospital by passersby. According to police, her family had always opposed this relationship and had barred the woman from seeing him. However, the couple decided to get married at an Arya Samaj temple on January 31. According to Indian Express, they moved to Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, as the threats from the woman’s family continued. Police told the media that the couple had come to Hyderabad just a week ago and had rented a house. 

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Protesters gathered at Indira Park in Hyderabad

After denying permission to several political outfits, non-government organisations and others, the Police department of Telangana finally granted permission to stage a protest on the condition that no mikes would be used and no slogans will be raised.

Every protestor held a placard with slogans to save democracy and restore normalcy in Kashmir and sat opposite the Indira Park.

Activists condemned the entire procedure of abrogation of Article 370 and demanded fully restoring communications in Jammu and Kashmir.

Uzma Shakir, who is from Kashmir and is the General Secretary of Telangana Congress committee said the people of Kashmir have been betrayed and are at present undergoing severe hardships due to the curfew that has been imposed in the entire state. She also mentioned how health services have been affected and the difficulties people are facing in accessing the same.

Syed Aziz Pasha, Ex-MP from CPI, said, “When this government came to power, they made tall promises of providing jobs, bringing back black money, ending corruption and so on. But all they did was divert the people’s attention from the real issues which they failed to address by bringing up communal issues or talking ill about Pakistan and now they abrogated the special status of Kashmir to detract the people from the economic crisis.”

Talking about the violations of rights of the people of Kashmir, he said the people in the state are being denied basic rights and their lives have been made miserable. And now after 70 days of communication blockade postpaid mobile connection users can make calls as if the Government has done a very big favour to them. It is high time normalcy is restored in Kashmir. The Government wants Kashmir but not the people of Kashmir and this is evident from the way it has imposed restrictions, resorted to heavy security, pellet gun firings and banning the media.

Fatima, another Kashmiri woman residing in Hyderabad, addressed the gathering by thanking all the protestors for standing up for Kashmir. She shared that her aunt’s hair was cut off when she had taken part in a protest. “All these things are done to instil fear in the minds and hearts of the people of Kashmir”, she said. “News reports which say everything is normal in Kashmir is all wrong. Nothing is right in Kashmir. A 9-year-old boy who had gone to buy bread was arrested on charges of having protested. And my mother, with whom I spoke after 2 months said, ‘When we hear footsteps outside in the night we are half dead with fear, the military men are harassing the women and arresting the men from the homes’”.
 

One of the protesters, Fatima, speaking at the event

Retired Justice Chandra Kumar who was also among the protestors, said, “Article 370 says, any resolution, law, Act that has to be passed in Kashmir has to be done only when the assembly of Jammu and Kashmir passes it. But there is no assembly in J&K. And the Governor is the agent of the Centre. Under these circumstances abrogating the special status of J & K is unconstitutional.”

He also said that the ruler and his subjects had both agreed to accede to India and not to Pakistan because India is a democracy. “And what has India done today? It has acted in a most undemocratic manner.” He also informed the gathering that there are nearly 200 writ petitions of Habeas corpus from Kashmir pending in the Supreme Court and instead of hearing these cases, it is more interested in hearing about the Ayodhya dispute.

The protest was attended by representatives from SC, ST, Minorities Front, Association for Protection of Democratic rights, Telangana Praja Party, Welfare Party of India, Socialist party (India), Amomat Society, Hyderabad Muslim Women’s Forum and others.

Courtesy: Two Circle

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This epidemic is spreading like wildfire due to the contaminated water and unhygienic atmosphere which has submerged the entire city in its grip and made it a fertile ground for the breeding of mosquitoes and other carriers of communicable diseases.

A woman down with viral fever lies on the lawn of the Fever Hospital, Hyderabad ( Image courtesy: Deccan chronicle)

So far at least 50 people have lost their lives and more than 200 cases of dengue fever have been recorded while 2 lakh people are suffering from viral fever as per official records. 

The social and political organisations who have written a letter and released a press statement expressed grave concern at the sufferings of the people due to the negligence and apathy of the Government. 

The Chief Minister of Telangana is either unaware of the situation or is wilfully in oblivion, says the press statement released by the CLMC (Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee) is there is no monitoring of such a serious situation of a health emergency. 

The situation has become so grim that the people are not getting the proper attention and medication in overcrowded hospitals. These hospitals also lack infrastructure and patients are forced to stay under trees in this heavy rainy season in the hospital compound.

There is garbage overflowing on the streets, water bodies are highly polluted, sewers are clogged and mosquitoes are breeding everywhere. 

a open naala in one of the localities in Hyderabad ( Image courtesy: Deccan Chronicle)

The organisations say, mere slogans of Saaf Hyderabad, Shaandar Hyderabad, are not sufficient and will not work unless action plans are made and implemented to reach the goal of Saaf and Shandar Hyderabad. 

They have called for immediate meetings of the area sabha, ward meetings and conduct street wise ward wise baithak/shooras/meetings for locale-specific issues so that public have a proper voice and redressal of grievances becomes easy.

Condemning the Government for its inaction, the Civil Liberties Monitoring committee and others have demanded the government to declare ‘Health Emergency to control the situation and bring down the viral diseases and improve the health conditions to provide at least some solace and relief to the sufferings of its ailing people.

Apart from CLMC,) HRF (Human Rights Forum), CHATRI(Campaign for Housing and Tenurial Rights), NAPM(National Alliance of People’s Movement) and political organisation Socialist Party (India) have demanded the government to take immediate steps to improve the situation. 

Courtesy: Two Circle
 

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Interestingly, the Telangana unit of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), the youth wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the parent organisation of the BJP, have submitted a memorandum to the district collector following the alleged temple vandalisation in Hauz Qazi, Delhi. S. Kailash, VHP convenor, reportedly said, “We all had convened a meeting during which we decided to submit a memorandum to the respective collector of our district on July 9. We will later submit it to the President of India.” Kailash further added, “The basic objective of this is to stand up for the atrocities against the Hindu community by other communities.”
 

Built around 1870, Errum Manzil literally means ‘Paradise Mansion.’ Built in the Indo-European Baroque style of architecture, the palace had over 150 rooms furnished with Louis XVI furniture, nine-hole golf course, polo ground, stable for horses and a dairy farm. The palace was full of stucco and ornamental works. The palace was used to overlook the Hussain Sagar, but this view has now been blocked by other buildings. The palace is located atop a hillock known as Erragadda or “red hill.”

Errum Manzil was used for royal banquets and other grand events. Later, the palace was taken over by the Government to be used as a records store-house. After some years it was again transferred into the hands of Public Works Department. Presently this palace houses the offices of the Engineers-in-chief and the Chief Engineers of the Roads and Buildings and Irrigation/ Command Area Development Departments.

The HC ruling comes as a major relief for the locals and activists who have been protesting against the government’s decision to raze the heritage structure. 
 

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Two consecutive meetings of representatives from various community organsiations, predominantly Muslim and have been fighting for the rights of Muslims have taken place. The last meeting took place on Thursday, 4^th July, in which it has been decided to form a board that will be called as Khairsugali Board’ or Goodwill Board. The meeting was convened by Moulana Mohammed Hussamuddin Sani Jafar Pasha.

Representatives in the panel board are from the Jamiat-e-Ulema Hind, Jamat-e-Islami, Tamir-e-Millat, Majlis-e-Ilmia,  Majlis Khatam-e-Nabu-wat, Najat-ul-Ulema, the Shia community, Ahle Hadees, Safa Bait-ul-Maal and Sufi scholars.

The Khairsugali board will deal with the incidents of violence on a monthly basis. Talking to Twocircles.net, Rahamath Husami, one of the organisers, said, “The motive of forming this panel is to curb incidents of violence, we want peace. And I am sure people of other religions also want peace. We just want to say that we want such incidents to stop. And In sha Allah the panel will meet K T Rama Rao, MLA and working president of the TRS party to discuss with him the possibilities of demanding the center to provide protection through a law that also talks about strictest punishment for those indulging in mob violence. We may also have a public meeting so people will know that there is a panel that will help anyone has been victimized in all possible ways.”
 

There have been suggestions to include other marginalized communities such as Dalits and Christians who are also at the receiving end at the hands of Hindu fanatics in the panel.

Courtesy: Two Circle

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The statue was erected at Punjagutta early on Saturday without obtaining clearance from the GHMC. Pictures of the damaged structure being carried from Yousufguda to the Jawaharnagar dump yard in a garbage truck went viral and evoked strong reactions from all quarters.

The Ambedkar Statue Protection Committee — which installed the structure — led by G Vinod Kumar, staged a protest against its removal at the site near the Punjagutta junction. As a precautionary measure, the police detained at least eight persons, including Kumar.

The damaged statue, meanwhile, was taken to the Yousufguda Kotla Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy indoor stadium.

Officials say it got damaged while being transported, but members of the association claim it got damaged as it fell off the vehicle.

The Indian New Indian express quoted Kumar saying that they sought permission from the government to erect the statue at the Punjagutta junction, near the statue of former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy. In the absence of a response, the association went ahead and installed the statue on Saturday.

“The GHMC and Hyderabad police have humiliated Dr BR Amedkar on his birth anniversary by removing the statue and throwing it in the dump yard. We will intensify our stir till the government responds to the incident,” Kumar warned.

The incident left both the GHMC and police embarrassed, and GHMC Commissioner Dana Kishore expressed “deep regret over the unfortunate incident”.

He suspended the Yousufguda yard operator Balaji for shifting the statue from Yousufguda to the Jawaharnagar dumping yard without permission from higher officials.

A senior IAS officer has been entrusted with the inquiry into the incident..

The Jawaharnagar police registered a case under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, following a complaint by the Telangana State Mala Mahanadu president.

The Telangana SC, ST Commission has sought a comprehensive report from the GHMC commissioner Hyderabad police commissioner.

Courtesy: https://countercurrents.org/
 

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8 Sheikhs from Middle East, Gulf were among 20 arrested in a ‘contract marriage’ racket in Hyderabad. Photo credit: NDTV

HYDERABAD: An international child bride racket has been busted here with the arrest of 20 people, including five Omani sheikhs, three Qataris and three qazis. Among them is the chief qazi of Mumbai, Farid Ahmed Khan, who is accused of being the kingpin and brokering the illegal contracts with forged nikahnamas.

The Times of India reports that twelve minors were freed from the clutches of the sheikhs late on Tuesday. The crackdown followed a tip-off from a reluctant 16-year-old girl, who was interviewed by a 50-year-old sheikh for marriage.

Read the full Times of India report.

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