Chandrasekhar Rao rejects demand for encounter probe

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao has rejected the demand made by MIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi for a judicial probe into the killing of five Muslim under-trials at Alair of Nalgonda district on April 7 this year.

Replying to a debate in Telangana Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, the Chief Minister said that the government has already constituted a Special Investigation Team to probe the encounter. He said further action would be taken on receipt of the SIT report. However, he assured that if any injustice has been done, then the guilty would be punished.

Earlier, Mr Owaisi said that the Assembly did not discuss Alair encounter during the Monsoon Session. He said all the five Muslims, who were killed in the alleged encounter were undertrials and were not pronounced guilty by a court of law. He said only courts are empowered to give punishment. He demanded a probe into the encounter by a judge. He feared that the SIT of police officials would not give a report against other police officials.