Chutzpah: Hyderabad police claim using `lathis to check COVID 19’ in vehicles

Hyderabad: Believe it or not, Hyderabad police are 'using lathis to check coronavirus’ in the vehicles.

Doctors might be pulling their hair after police told Telangana high court that they were using canes to check COVID 19 in the vehicles.

The court was hearing a petition by Sheela Sarah Mathew against the police for being unjust and violating fundamental rights during the lockdown. The petitioner listed different incidents of police’s alleged brutality to back her allegation.

“According to the petitioner, there is an allegation that the police personnel of Falaknuma station damaged the vehicles parked outside their homes in a residential area. Surprisingly, the police claimed that while checking the two-wheelers parked outside the house, they used lathis to see whether coronavirus was present or not. This explanation by the police is indeed surprising,” the court observed.

The court said police claimed that ‘no excesses’ were committed but did not submit any report.

“According to the counter-affidavit, police said Mohd Asgar was not assaulted but he fell in a chase. Surprisingly, his injury report was not submitted,” the court said.

Likewise, Khaleem alleged that he was beaten up by Hyderabad police. However, the counter-affidavit said while seeing the police personnel Khaleem tried to run away and in the chase, he fell into a manhole and fractured his right leg.

“Although the police claimed that he was shifted to Osmania General Hospital, the medical report has not been filed,” the court said.

In the case of a physically challenged person being assaulted, the police in its counter-affidavit told the court that, the man is a regular offender and has 13 traffic challans against him. However, none of the challans were submitted.

A video had gone viral during the lockdown in which a sub-inspector of Moghalpura police was caught on camera abusing a person who had stepped out to buy groceries.

“Though the allegation has been admitted in the counter-affidavit, the name of the officer has not been revealed. Likewise, it is alleged that Junaid was brutally attacked by K Hanumanth Kumar of the Golconda police. He got 13 stitches on his face beside a hairline fracture. But according to police, he was driving without a mask or helmet. An altercation followed, during which the lathi hit his spectacle. However his injury report was not produced before the court,” the court said.

The court has directed the police to submit a report to back its claims that no excesses were committed.