Hyderabad : A physiotherapist’s allegations of custodial torture, illegal detention and false implication by KPHB police have come under judicial scrutiny, with Telangana high court ordering preservation of CCTV footage and directing a detailed inquiry.
Justice T Madhavi Devi, hearing a petition filed by the 40-year-old physiotherapist, directed the Cyberabad police commissioner to enquire into allegations that KPHB police personnel subjected him to third-degree torture in a minor girl’s missing case in connivance with his former employer. The court also ordered police to preserve CCTV footage of KPHB police station from the night of Aug 3 to 4 and submit it before the court. He claimed he had no connection with the girl’s disappearance, except for a brief 90-second phone conversation during which she sought money, and he claimed to have refused. In his petition, he detailed what he described as over 24 hours of unauthorised custody, during which he was allegedly subjected to severe physical abuse, humiliation and torture. Seeking relief, the petitioner urged the high court to initiate departmental and criminal proceedings against the police personnel concerned, award him Rs 15 lakh compensation for alleged torture and loss of livelihood, and ensure preservation of the police station’s CCTV footage covering the period of his detention.
He was detained after a minor domestic helper went missing from his former employer’s residence, according to the petitioner. The physiotherapist also told the court that the incident had left him traumatised and facing the prospect of losing his job. Further, it directed authorities not to take any action against the petitioner without following due process of law. The matter was adjourned for further hearing. Despite this, the petitioner alleged that KPHB police personnel unlawfully detained him without a warrant or prior notice. He alleged that police beat him repeatedly, forced him to ingest unknown tablets, physically assaulted him and inflicted chemical burns. He alleged that police acted at the behest of his former employer, who had bribed officials.