HDK to raise Qureshi issue in Assembly

Former chief minister and Janata Dal (Secular) state unit president H D Kumaraswamy on Monday asserted that he will raise the issue of alleged police atrocity on Ahmed Qureshi, in the next Legislative Assembly session.

Kumaraswamy, who claimed to have collected both the versions of the case (from Qureshi’s kin and also the police), raised many posers to the police, underlining missing links.

He said Qureshi was taken into police custody in the case of murder bid on Prakash Poojary on March 21, but he was produced before the court only after four days on March 25. Strangely, he suffers injuries in an accident during the police custody (on March 25). Except Qureshi, none of the other police personnel suffered injuries, a doubt will naturally arise in anyone’s mind in this regard. Most importantly, Qureshi had told the police about his kidney ailment at the time of his arrest only, as told by some insiders in the police department. However, it cannot stop the police from subjecting him to third degree treatment, resulting in the damage to his kidney, Kumaraswamy said claiming that he is not making any unfound charges.

No serious charges
In addition to this, Qureshi had also told the police about a similar case registered against him in 2015. However, none of such antecedents are mentioned in the first information report  (FIR) registered by the police. There are also no serious charges mentioned against him in the FIR, he said.

Govt flayed
Coming down heavily on the government for inept handling of the case, Kumaraswamy called it as ‘atrocity by law’ in the name of unseen elements. The issue could have been sorted out amicably, had the police discussed with representatives of the organisations who have been fighting for the cause of Qureshi, he said.

Kumaraswamy also blamed some carapace lower-rung police officials who have turned nonchalant, yet another reason for the coast witnessing the turn of events, mostly unsavoury, as told by some of the senior police officers. It is essential to keep the harmony intact in the coast for Mangaluru having huge economic potential after Bengaluru in the State, he added.

Reacting to a question on as to why he was interested only in the case of Qureshi as there were many such cases in the past, including that of a youth called Karthik Raj whose murderers are still at large, Kumaraswamy said the issue should be nipped in the bud, be it any case.

CID to probe case: Ivan
MLC Ivan D’Souza on Monday said the government has handed over the case of alleged police atrocity on Ahmed Qureshi, arrested in an attempt to murder case, to CID.

Reacting to media queries following a demand made by H D Kumaraswamy for a detailed probe into the case, Ivan said the home department has handed over the case to CID and a notification is expected to be issued in this regard.

He, however, denied to comment further, saying that it will be subjudice with the matter already before the court and to be investigated further by apex investigation body of the state. He also refuted that the Police department is saffronised, as the government is strict in its administration.

He said the situation in the coast has improved for better with a meagre 13 to 14 cases of moral policing registered in the last three years between 2013 and 2016 against 112 cases registered between 2008 and 2012 (when the BJP led government was in power).