Police own up businessman's killing

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, JULY 5. A CID enquiry has been ordered into the murder of Muvvala Tulasidas, a businessman of Khammam, yesterday. The Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, who reviewed the incident, ordered the suspension of the Inspector of Police concerned reportedly responsible for the incident.

The Chief Minister said that the CID would go into the details and submit a report at the earliest. The Chief Minister directed the Inspector-General of Police, CID, to go to Khammam and take adequate steps to conduct the investigation, according to an official statement here.

Our Khammam Staff Reporter writes:

The police owned up the killing of the former general secretary of the AP Chamber of Commerce, Muvvala Tulasidas, a day after the incident and claimed it to be accidental while Khammam observed a bandh. The trading community reacted to the killing in solidarity and disallowed the post-mortem of the body till this evening protesting against attempts to `hush up' the case and protect the town circle inspector, Sarvar Pasha.

They did not relent even after the intervention of the Inspector- General of Police, Mr. Balwinder Singh, who agreed to the suspension and arrest of the Inspector besides handing over the case to the CID for an impartial probe since the traders expressed total lack of faith in the local police. They wanted a case to be booked against the Inspector under Section 302 of the CRPC by altering the first information report (FIR) which was prepared earlier based on the police version.

Though the police hesitated to withdraw the FIR, they agreed to it finally as the situation appeared to be going out of control following the intervention of Opposition parties. The CLP leader, who was here as part of his election campaign, demanded a judicial enquiry into the killing and stringent action against the killers. He visited the hospital where the body has been kept since yesterday and consoled the family members.

The Inspector-General of Police said that the death of the chamber leader was caused mainly by the rash and negligent act of the police. A police party led by the inspector laid the trap for two PWG dalam members who approached Tulasidas with a letter from Manganna dalam for Rs. 70,000 earlier in the day. He tried to pass on information to the police and contacted the SP's camp office and later the town Circle Inspector, Sarvar Pasha. As per the plan the police reached the spot the moment the two naxalites approached Tulasidas for money.

The police aimed at the naxalites but in the process of grappling with them some rounds went off from the weapon of the circle inspector. The complainant became the casualty of the bullets. The two naxalites, arrested by the police, had many cases against them. One of the arrested naxalites was a TRS nominee contesting for the Kothapet MPTC in the district.

Asked why the police took such a long time to own up the incident, the Inspector-General said there were some lapses. ``I would take care of those responsible for it,'' he said. The IG denied reports that Tulasidas was killed because of differences cropped up with the Inspector over a civil litigation. He admitted that Tulasidas had earlier complained to the Superintendent of Police against another Inspector, Mr. Prabhakar Rao, in connection with some civil litigation and it had nothing to do with this case.

An eye witness to the incident said that two persons were engaged in a discussion with Tulasidas on the roadside when a numberless vehicle carrying some armed persons reached the spot. The chamber leader probably identified those in the vehicle and wished them by waving his hand. Three persons got down from the vehicle and one of them aimed at Tulasidas and fired two rounds while the others whisked away those engaged in conversation with him after removing their shirts.

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