SHRC seeks report on alleged atrocities at Cherlapalli Jail

Hyderabad, Feb 3 (PTI) Responding to a petition filed bythe family members of some of the under-trial prisoners atCherlapalli Central Jail which alleged that inmates werebeaten up by the police, State Human Rights Commission todaydirected top police officers to file a report.

Acting Chairperson of the SHRC, K P Peri Reddy, askedDirector-General (Prisons) C N Gopinath Reddy and CyberabadPolice Commissioner Dwarka Tirumala Rao to visit the CentralPrison and to ensure that the injured prisoners were providedwith proper medical aid.

In his order, the Chairperson asked them to file areport on the incident by February 18 and further directed theDirector-General (Prisons) to allow the family members of theinjured prisoners to meet them, as per the jail rules.

The petitioners had alleged that the police had"mercilessly" beaten up their relatives inside the jail whilecarrying out searches of cells; the injured were not treated,and many of them were still lying unconscious in their cells.

"Our kin in the jail were not opposed to the searches,but the jail staff damaged religious books in the name ofchecking," one of the petitioners alleged.

However, the Kushaiguda Police had earlier registereda case against 13 prisoners of Cherlapalli jail for allegedlyattacking prison staff on January 31 and injuring nineofficials. .