Don't go public, Hyderabad cops warn 'tortured' youths

The Hyderabad police, which is under fire over the alleged torturing of a youth picked up after last year's Mecca Masjid blast, has once again evoked the ire of the Muslim community by allegedly threatening one of the acquitted persons not to go public with the details of torture.

Twenty two-year-old Imran Khan, who was among the four persons to be acquitted in a criminal conspiracy case a few days ago, is expected to narrate his experience at a public meeting on Friday.

On Thursday, a group of policemen from the Bowenpally station visited Imran's home and threatened his family with dire consequences if attended the meeting and talked about what happened in police custody.

"The group of policemen in plainclothes came in a Tata Sumo and wanted to know the whereabouts of my son," said Yunusllah Khan, Imran's father, adding, "When I asked the purpose, they told us that Imran should not attend the meeting on Friday."

Angered over this, Yunusllah asked the policemen to leave the house saying that they had no business to come to his house and issue threats.

"You picked up an innocent youth, tortured and harassed him, destroying his life. Now that the court has acquitted him, you are still hounding him," Khan told them.

One of the policemen told the family that they were merely passing on the instructions of their senior officer. As the heated argument attracted curious onlookers, the police left the place in a hurry but only after warning of grave consequences.

Imran Khan, a third year engineering student, was picked up by the police after the bomb blast in Mecca Masjid in May last year and he was allegedly tortured to confess his involvement in the blast. The police had claimed that he had moved RDX from one place to another, an allegation rejected by Imran.

His uncle Shoaib Jagirdar from Jalna was also arrested by the police in the same case, but he too was acquitted by the court. Both Shoaib and Imran had narrated the tale of their torture by the police, including subjecting them to the electric shocks, to rediff.com earlier.

Shoaib, who will also be speaking at the meeting, said he was being shadowed by the police and intelligence sleuths. The meeting is organized by a political organization Majlis Bachao Tehreek.

The purpose of the meeting is to expose the atrocities of the police and their attempts to frame the innocent people in terror-related cases, said Amjadullah Khan Khalid, the leader of MBT.