Hyderabad: NHRC seeks report on auto driver’s death after ‘torture’ at Rajendranagar Police Station

Hyderabad Police said auto driver Irfan suddenly collapsed and fell unconscious while leaving the police station. He was immediately shifted to Osmania General Hospital but was declared dead on arrival.

Hyderabad: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to Telangana’s Director General of Police (DGP), seeking a report on the death of an autorickshaw driver allegedly due to physical torture by police in Hyderabad.

The NHRC took suo motu cognisance of a media report that a 35-year-old autorickshaw driver died on May 13, 2025, allegedly after being subjected to physical torture by the police at Rajendranagar Police Station in Hyderabad.

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The Commission has observed that the contents of the media report, if true, raise a serious violation of the human rights of the victim. Therefore, it has issued a notice to the Director General of Police, Telangana, calling for a detailed report on the matter within two weeks.

According to the media report, carried on May 14, 2025, the victim was having some issues with his wife, who had taken him to the Police Station to resolve the issue. After counselling the couple, the man was taken to a room where he was badly beaten up by policemen with rubber belts. After an hour, when he came out of the Police Station, he started vomiting and collapsed. He was taken to the hospital, where he was declared dead by the doctors, the NHRC said.

The deceased was identified as Mohd Irfan, an auto driver, a resident of Dargah Kalich Khan, in Kismatpur, and a native of Mysuru, Karnataka.

A police officer had said that Irfan, a father to three children, was allegedly seeing another married woman, leading to repeated disputes with his wife, Nishad Begum.

Nishad Begum and her family visited the woman’s house on May 13 to counsel her. Following a quarrel, both Irfan and the woman were brought to the police station the same night by their family members. The police officer said that they had counselled both parties and advised them against maintaining further contact.

Police said that Irfan suddenly collapsed and fell unconscious while leaving the police station. He was immediately shifted to Osmania General Hospital but was declared dead on arrival.

Irfan’s brother Mohd Sadiq had claimed that his brother died after the police beat him. He told the media that on hearing Irfan’s cries, they rushed into the building, but the police stopped them from entering. He said that after stepping out of the police station, Irfan started vomiting, complained of heartache and collapsed.

A case of death under suspicious circumstances was filed under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).