Telangana: Police brutality continues; Tribal youth thrashed for criticising government

Following a call from the MLA's office, Maloth Suresh Babu, was allegedly tortured by the Thorrur police, after he criticised the personal assistant of the local MLA from the ruling Congress on social media.

Hyderabad: A tribal youngster, Maloth Suresh Babu, was allegedly tortured by the Thorrur police, after he criticised the personal assistant of the local MLA from the ruling Congress on social media. The incident came to light on Thursday, attracting strong reaction from Opposition parties, demanding immediate action against the police officials responsible.

According to the victim’s family members, Suresh Babu, who hails from Sannuru village in Thorrur mandal of Palakurthy Assembly constituency, posted a WhatsApp message criticising Vijender Reddy, the personal assistant of Palakurthy MLA Yashaswini Reddy from the ruling Congress party. He had posted the message following the murder of a BRS leader allegedly by persons owing allegiance to the Congress MLA. BRS leaders had also accused the local MLA of encouraging murder politics in the constituency.

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Following a call from the MLA’s office, the Thorrur police summoned Suresh Babu to the police station and thrashed him black and blue.

“What crime did my son commit? Did he steal something or harass someone? He is only serving the people through politics, but the Sub-Inspector treated him badly and thrashed him up for questioning the government. Is it a crime to question the government?,” the victim’s mother asked. Suresh Babu had to get treated for his injuries, she said.

The incident, along with other instances of the police highhandedness on unemployed youngsters and journalists being reported, triggered a strong reaction from BRS working president KT Rama Rao, who expressed deep anguish over recent incidents in Telangana where police were detaining young individuals for posting critical content about the ruling Congress government on social media.

Highlighting the disturbing incident of Suresh Babu, he said the tribal youth was picked up and tortured by the Thorrur police. His only “crime” was posting a WhatsApp message criticising the personal assistant of local MLA Yashaswini Reddy. Rama Rao also cited an alarming trend of the police raiding the homes of BRS cadre based on frivolous complaints about social media posts. Such actions undermine the principles of free speech and democratic dissent, he said.

In an appeal to DGP Jitender, the BRS working president said the Telangana police had earlier earned a name for its professional behaviour. He urged the DGP for his urgent intervention to stop the lawless behaviour by some “over-enthusiastic” cops from tarnishing the reputation of the State police.

“I request the urgent intervention of the Telangana DGP to halt these unlawful practices. While some officers may believe they are serving the ruling dispensation, their actions are, in fact, damaging the reputation of our State Police department,” he noted. He urged the police to adhere to laid-down procedures and avoid unlawful intimidation or torture, ensuring the protection of citizens’ rights and maintaining the public’s trust in law enforcement.

Meanwhile, the Lambadi Hakkula Porata Sangham demanded for the arrest of Vijender Reddy under the SC/ST Atrocities Act for misusing the political power. Sangham State president Gugulothu Bhima Naik also demanded action against the police officials responsible. He warned that unless the State government initiated action, they would launch a State-wide agitation for justice.