Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (ANK)
Mangaluru, Apr 8: Mohammed Irshad, brother of Ahmed Qureshi who was allegedly tortured in custody by the CCB police, on Saturday April 8 claimed that Ahmed was innocent and that he had been illegally arrested and tortured.
Addressing a press meet here, Irshad said, "On March 21, CCB police illegally arrested my brother Ahmed Qureshi. He suffered atrocities at the hands of the police, resulting in faliure of one of his kidneys.
"I am confident that my brother is innocent and he did not indulge in any kind of illegal activities. We seek justice for my brother and also demand immediate suspension of CCB inspector Sunil Naik, and sub-inspector, Shyam Sundar, and others. Qureshi was admitted to Wenlock hospital, where even the doctors claimed that one of his kidneys has not been functional.
"He was arrested from near the district court complex on March 21 by the police on the pretext of questioning. He was kept in illegal confinement from March 21 to 27, and tortured. He was threatened of encounter. On March 21, he visited the court in the morning for case hearing but in the afternoon he was illegally arrested by the CCB police. As he did not turn up in the court for further hearing that afternoon (due to the arrest), the court issued a search warrant against him. But the police have paid no respect for that.
"On March 26, I recieved a call from the police that Ahmed would be produced in the court on March 27. They did not produce him in the open court, instead they produced him before a judge. Later when his condition turned critical they took him to Wenlock hospital for medication but did not get him admitted there. Then with the help of the lawyer, we met Ahmed and managed to admit him to Wenlock hospital. Now the court has also issued orders to shift him to a private hospital for futher treatment," Irshad said.
"Even though such a serious incident has occured, none of the ministers chose to raise voice, and neither have they taken stringent action against the police officers who tortured my brother. We urge the government to provide compensation and also to look after his hospital expenses," he added.
When asked about Ahmed's present condition, Irshad said, "He has not yet recovered and is still in critical condition."
Father of Ahmed Qureshi Abubakar and lawyer Ashraf Agnadi were present.
It may be recalled that on April 4, activists of Popular Front of India (PFI) had staged a strong protest against the alleged torture, and were caned by the police. According to the police, the protest was held without permission, and it was also reported that the activists had pelted stones and injured some police personnel, though the PFI refuted the charges later in a press meet. Mangaluru North MLA Mohiuddin Bava has said that as per the DMO's report, Ahmed Qureshi indeed damaged a kidney, and that he has asked the chief minister to order a probe into the matter.