Khadeer Khan’s custodial death: Civil society urges DGP to preserve CCTV footage, demands judicial probe

Hyderabad: A civil society fact-finding team probing the custodial death of Khadeer Khan in Medak has asked Telangana DGP Anjani Kumar to preserve CCTV footage in a bid to prevent evidence tampering.

Thirty-five-year-old of Medak town was arrested by Medak police on January 29 and died in Gandhi hospital on February 16 after custodial torture.

Civil society alleged that there was no 'specific FIR' against Khan. The team asked DGP to preserve the medical records of three hospitals (Renova hospital, Kompally, and Gandhi Hospital, Hyderabad) and record the doctors' statements from the three hospitals.

The fact-finding team comprising Khalida Parveen, Murali Karnam, S.Q.Masood, Krishna Kumari, Manga, Deepthi, Kaneez Fathima, Kareema, Farisa Quadri, Naseem Sultana, Gayatri, and Fariya visited the family, friends, and neighbors of the victim. Later they issued a statement detailing their visit to Medak town police station and interaction with Khadeer's friend Rizwan.

The fact-finding team demanded a speedy trial of Khadeer Khan's case by appointing a special magistrate and a separate bench. They asked the DGP to issue orders to register an FIR against the erring police officers under 302 IPC. The team also demanded the immediate transfer of Medak Superintendent of Police Rohini Priyadarshini for failing to take timely action against the erring police officers.

"We urge the Telangana government to pay Rs 50 lakh compensation to Farzana and provide a government job to her", said the fact-finding team.

According to the team, there was no specific complaint or FIR against Khadeer Khan. It is merely based on misidentification that he was arrested and tortured. Medak police have illegally detained the victim without even FIR or warrant. They stated that the police targeted Khadeer to hide their failure to arrest the real culprit in the theft case.

According to the fact-finding team, Khadeer's friend Rizwan came to know that the chain was not made of gold chain. He said it was an ordinary chain worth Rs 150. When the police showed him the CCTV footage, Rizwan said he was 100% sure it was not Khadeer. However, police said that Rizwan identified the man as Khadeer.

What happened?

Khadeer Khan of Medak town was arrested by Medak police on January 29 and died in Gandhi hospital on February 16. Medak police arrested him from a marriage function at Yakutpura of Hyderabad on charges of the chain-snatching incident in Medak

Police suspected the man in the CCTV was Khadeer Khan. Constable Pavan went to meet Rizwan, a friend of Khadeer and harassed him to share information about Khadeer.

When Khadeer called Rizwan, police traced Khadeer's cell phone tower location in Hyderabad. Medak police first approached the Hussaini Alam police station with a request to call Khadeer to the police station. However, police did not cooperate because Medak cops were not carrying any warrants or legal documents.

Medak police contacted Khadeer's brother-in-law Moin. They later picked up Khadeer and his brother–in–law Moin and brought them in a private car. Khadeer's brother-in-law Moin was released after being beaten and threatened, But Khadeer was put to third-degree torture for five days from January 29.

Khadeer's wife's version:

Khadeer's wife Farzana said the video clearly showed torture and brutality. On February 2, the police called Farzana and told her to take him back. On February 3, he was produced before Tahsildar and applied a bind-over. As he was unable to sign the bind-over papers (his hands were swollen), the police signed the paper on his behalf.

Farzana also questioned the police personnel as to why he was kept in the police station and tortured. If at all, there are any charges against him, they should have produced him in court. Police warned her that they should not move out of the house for a week.