Watch: Police thrash, administer electric shock to youth for stealing roosters in Kothagudem

Victim K Nagaraju hospitalised; says he was kept in the police station from morning to night every day and tortured for 12 days

Kothagudem: In an alleged custodial torture incident, a youngster was beaten up severely by the police at Aswaraopet police station in a rooster theft case.

The youngster, who could not walk because of pain in his legs, is being treated in a hospital. According to family members of K Nagaraju of Naramvarigudem village in Aswaraopet mandal, he was tortured for allegedly stealing a neighbour’s roosters.

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He was summoned to the police station following a complaint by one Appa Rao alleging that Nagaraju had stolen his roosters. The youth said he was kept in the police station from morning to night every day and was tortured for the last 12 days.

Even though he said he had not stolen the roosters, the police did not listen to him and subjected him to torture. An SI called him again to the station a couple of days ago, hurled abuses at him, gave him electric shock and beat him black and blue, Nagaraju’s family members told the media while shifting him to hospital.

However, the police maintained that Nagaraju was creating a drama after police told him that they had evidence of him stealing the birds and that if he did not tell the truth, an FIR would be registered.

It might be noted that the Aswaraopet incident was the second custodial torture incident this month in erstwhile Khammam district. Recently, a truck driver who could not bear the torture of the police at the VM Banjar police station in Khammam district jumped from the police station building and was hospitalised.

The Aswaraopet station was in the news for bad reasons in the past as well. A Dalit SI, Sriramula Srinivas, who worked at the police station, died by suicide in July 2024. He had held the then CI Jithender Reddy, constables Shekar, Khali Shah, Naidu and Shiva responsible for his extreme step.