Police release video to cover up criticism on ‘torture in custody’

ANANTAPUR: The video of a sub inspector severely thrashing a man at a police station went viral on social media and caused a huge public uproar.

Among others, TD general secretary Nara Lokesh sought action against the police and said a local YSRC leader was behind the police action.

Meanwhile, the police released another video of the victim and his wife, in which the woman said she had asked the SI to punish her husband as he was neglecting the family. The victim also said this was so, as per the police video.

The victim was Venugopal of Sanjeevaraya Palli in Chilamathur mandal. He had confronted YSRC leader Damodar Reddy in the village earlier this week, asking him why his mother Padmavati, physically challenged, was denied a monthly pension. The YSRC leader reportedly roughed up Venugopal.

Venugopal went to lodge a complaint at Chilamathur police station against the YSRC leader. The sub inspector, Rangadu, beat him up severely in the police station premises.

Lokesh said a Rajareddy constitution was in force in the state, and the police are not doing justice even when people approach stations with genuine complaints. “Is this the friendly policing that the YSRC boasts about in AP,”

Lokesh asked and urged the Satya Sai district administration to clear the pension for the physically challenged woman and take action against the Chilamathur SI.

Satyasai district SP Rahuldev ordered a probe into the incidents. Penukonda DSP Ramya would hold a probe and action would be initiated based on the report, the SP said.

In the police video, Venu’s wife said she approached Chilamathur police to seek counseling for her husband who was neglecting the family. Venu said in the video that the SI’s action was due to his wife's representation. Activists say police now forced them to say these.