Day after police station was ransacked in Hyderabad, police claims victim choked and not beaten

Hyderabad: A day after the Marredpally police station was ransacked by an angry mob, the city police claimed that G. Bannappa had died because he had choked on food particles stuck in his throat, not from any corporal punishment at the police station.

Hyderabad police commissioner Mahender Reddy has ordered a probe into the death of Bannappa. A team from the Central Crime Station has taken up investigation after booking a case under 174 CrPC for suspicious death.

Two sub-inspectors have been removed from the police station and attached to the head quarters during the inquiry. The Marredpally police has lost several important files, computers, and other valuables, which were burnt by the mob on Monday night.

The police has lost FIRs, chargesheets, case files, investigation reports, and several other files in the fire. Many documents had no digital back-ups in the police station. “We have digital backup of some files, but not all. The rioters threw the almirah down. They damaged the computers too,” said North Zone DCP N. Prakash Reddy.

The DCP added that the attackers had brought fuel with them. “They had set the vehicles on fire using the inflammables. However, the riot was spontaneous. No conspiracy was involved,” he said. Senior police officials said no firearms were missing, though two motorcycles, a police car and two RTC buses were damaged.

Ironically, Station House Officer B. Ravinder Reddy, the officer in-charge, was not present when Bannappa was brought in. Mr Reddy said that he had been on Bonalu bandobast during the last three days.

Relatives say Bannappa was beaten very badly:

The residents of Gandhinagar Colony, West Marredpally, remember G. Banappa, whose death sparked rioting on Monday, as someone who would be at the forefront of every Bonalu procession. Locals said he was never aggressive.

He was in good health, said G. Arjuna, the victim’s brother, After police released him, he was exhausted and half-conscious. His throat, legs and hands were swollen. “He could not speak. The cops had beat him up with for many hours causing internal injuries. He could not drink water or eat. After a while, he started vomiting and urinating on the bed,” Arjuna said.