Is Congress protecting the Constitution or accelerating their old police rule in Telangana?

Telangana High Court advocate writes about the instances of police highhandedness in Telangana leading to doubts whether the Congress government is encouraging the police rather than checkig their abuse of power

By Mukesh Samala

In Telangana, during the past seven months under Congress rule, it appears that the police have taken law and order into their own hands, overstepping their authority. Despite the Chief Minister holding the home portfolio, there seems to be a lack of control over law and order. The first incident occurred on December 12, 2023, at Chintapalli Police Station in the Nalgonda district. A 55-year-old member of the ST Lambada community, Nenavath Sury, was detained by the police and allegedly tortured. The incident was falsely portrayed as a heart attack. Even though the Sub-Inspector was involved in a civil dispute, the superintendent of police merely suspended him, downplaying the issue.

---

In January 2024, two female police constables were seen dragging a female student by her hair while riding a scooter. The student belonged to the ABVP student organization and was protesting at Professor Jayashankar Agriculture University against the allocation of university land to construct a new High Court on 100 acres of land.

Also, the Telangana police openly declared an end to ‘friendly policing,’ stating their readiness to use force, including batons and firearms if necessary. Instances reported in the media included police harassing, threatening, and in various cases, beating minors, causing psychological distress due to their aggressive behavior. As law enforcement agencies, their primary role should be ensuring public safety rather than instilling fear among citizens. In Hyderabad, known as a global city, police vehicles were seen announcing without official government orders that all shops must close by 11:00 PM or face punishment. Given the city’s numerous IT and service-based MNCs operating round the clock, it’s crucial for the state to ensure adequate security for employees and companies, as insecurity could lead companies to relocate. Such incidents indicate that the police are attempting to create an atmosphere of unrest in the state. The sad reality is that mainstream media is not adequately reporting these issues to awaken government authorities, which could tarnish the state’s reputation nationally and internationally.

In Suryapet district, female students peacefully staged a sit-in at the collectorate premises demanding the suspension of a warden, but they were surrounded by the police. During protests by unemployed youths supported by student organizations, there were reports of beatings and offensive verbal abuse. Recently, the police used harsh language and even resorted to physical violence against journalists covering protests by unemployed youth at Osmania University.

At a temple, a female journalist was even asked by an inspector to prove her pregnancy—a behavior deemed disrespectful. Even those peacefully asserting their rights on social media have faced retaliation, such as journalist Revathi, who received an FIR simply for questioning electricity officials about power supply issues on Twitter. Activists and opposition members are similarly targeted with false and fabricated cases if they express any criticism.

In Siddipet, an Assistant Sub-Inspector verbally abused an advocate who was assisting his client at the police station, damaging his mobile phone and physically assaulting him. All bars in Telangana expressed solidarity with the advocate, staging protests in all courts, including the High Court, and boycotting district courts.

Moreover, new criminal laws named BNSS (Bharathiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhitha), which replaced the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), have given additional powers to the police, such as extending the maximum duration of police custody from 15 days to 60-90 days. This could lead to police excesses and coerced confessions. These laws also permit the use of handcuffs during arrests for a range of offences, which is controversial in light of Supreme Court rulings. With these excessive powers, the police might misuse them for their personal interests. It appears that the government’s rule in the state has been overshadowed by police control. It is ironic that Congress and its leaders claim to protect the Constitution of India at the union level while in a Congress-ruled state, they are establishing a police Raj.

(The author is a practicing advocate at the High Court of Telangana in Hyderabad)