Muslim driver allegedly tortured, told to go to Pak by cops in Hyderabad

Hyderabad, May (IANS) A Muslim driver was allegedly tortured by traffic police personnel at a police station in Shamshabad near the Hyderabad Airport on the outskirts of the city.

Mohammed Subhan, a DCM driver, alleged on Wednesday that he was physically tortured at the police station in Shamshabad where was kept under custody for three days.

Showing the injury marks all over his body, Subhan said a traffic police officer used abusive language and also asked him to go to Pakistan.

Subhan, who was let off by the police at the intervention of Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, said a traffic policeman had clicked a picture of his vehicle when he was driving through the vegetable market in Shamshabad. He got down from his vehicle and requested the policeman to delete the picture and not slap a fine on him in view of the lockdown.

The driver alleged that the policeman then abused and slapped him. "I then held him by his collar. Meanwhile, another traffic policeman came there, and they dragged me to the police station," he said.

Subhan said he was kept in the traffic police section on the first floor of the police station where he was tortured.

"They beat up me with sticks and plastic pipes. There are injuries on my arms, legs and soles. An officer even kicked me and told me to go to Pakistan," said Subhan.

The driver also claimed that some police personnel dressed his wounds as they feared that the word may spread about his physical torture. He said the police released him after three days following the intervention by Owaisi.

"Subhan was detained by traffic cops near Hyd airport & beaten. He was taken to police station where cops tortured him for 3 days. They used anti-Muslim insults & told him to go to Pak. Y'day I got to know about him & immediately spoke to CI who got him released," Owaisi tweeted.

Owaisi, the president of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), demanded that all policemen who participated in these criminal activities should be suspended immediately and punished severely. He said there can be no excuse for torture.

The MP hoped that the Cyberabad police commissioner, who is known for meting out 'instant justice', will take swift and strict action in this case too.

He also urged the Telangana DGP to take urgent steps to prevent such police atrocities.