NHRC issues notice to DGP, Telangana Govt. over illegal detention, torture of villagers

New Delhi [India], August 11 (ANI): The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), on the basis of a complaint and media reports, has issued a notice to the Director General of Police, Government of Telengana over allegations of illegal detention and torture of persons belonging to the Scheduled Caste and other backward communities from Nerela village in Siricilla Rajanna District of the state. The commission has observed that the allegations raise a serious issue of human rights violation of the victims. The DGP, however, has been directed to conduct a fair and independent enquiry into the matter and submit a report within four weeks. The local police, allegedly, never acted on the complaints of villagers regarding innumerable deaths caused by the speeding lorries of sand contractors. They are notorious for overloading lorries with sand and driving them at a high speed disregarding the safety and security of the villagers. Reportedly, on July 2, 2017, a lorry of a sand contractor ran over one person belonging to the Scheduled Tribe. After this, two lorries were set ablaze by the angry villagers following which, the police indiscriminately picked up at least eight persons and brutally tortured them for four days before producing them in front of the Judicial Magistrate on July 8, 2017 under serious offences. Allegedly, the men were threatened that their women will also be booked under heinous offences, if they complained of their torture. (ANI)