The Human Rights Forum (HRF) has called for a credible investigation into the alleged custodial death of an accused Kuruba Ramanjaneyulu (30), a resident of Sanapa village of Atmakur mandal in Anantapur district, on January 17.
The probe must be conducted by an agency as independent of the local police as possible, said a four-member team of the HRF giving its report to the media after visiting the Rayadurg police station and Sanapa village. The team met Mamatha (29), the wife of the deceased, their relatives and the people at Sanapa. They also met the fellow accused in the case D. Sreenivasulu, who is the principal surviving witness for the entire episode.
The team also met the ASI and a police constable at the Rayadurg police station and the DSP of Kalyandurg Division. The police version is that Ramanjaneyulu and Sreenivasulu were brought to the police station by Pai Thota villagers on January 16 at 10 a.m. after they were allegedly caught red-handed while stealing sheep the previous night. Both were tied up, and beaten by the villagers.
On the complaint of one N. Obeleshu, a case under Section 379 IPC was registered against both accused. There was a mob of villagers which insisted that the police take steps to recover nearly 200 sheep which were missing and held the two responsible for it. Ramanjaneyulu allegedly resorted to suicide by hanging from the ceiling fan in the room where both were kept.
The HRF demanded that the family of Ramanjaneyulu had to be compensated substantively. It also demanded an inquiry into the incident by a Judicial Magistrate or Metropolitan Magistrate and not by an Executive Magistrate, and prosecution of the Rayadurg police.
