Clashes: police rely on video footage

Police are relying on video footage to identify the accused in the cases of communal clashes reported in the city in the past three days.

An extensive analysis of the visuals of the violent incidents - majority of them recorded by police - was undertaken to identity the accused, the Hyderabad Police Commissioner, A.K. Khan, told reporters on Wednesday. Nearly 200 video cameras were used by the police to record the clashes reported on Sunday and Monday.

“Police have crucial evidence in the form of video footage of the Bajrang Dal rally that turned violent on Tuesday. Some 75 video cameras were used for this purpose,” Mr. Khan said.

Different timings were adopted for curfew relaxation to optimally use forces available focussing on trouble prone areas.

“People better buy essential commodities for at least two days as there will not be any curfew relaxation on Friday in South Zone,” the Commissioner said. No decision was taken yet on relaxing curfew in eight police stations of West zone and one each in Central and East zones.

The relaxation period is meant to purchase essential commodities, milk, groceries and medicines.

Arrangements were being made in coordination with marketing department to sell vegetables and other goods, he said.

Meanwhile, the circulation of hate messages through short message service of mobile phones during communal clashes was being investigated by the Cyber Crime Cell.

SMS helps police foil T-suicide

Police on Friday saved the life of a youth who was about to set himself ablaze after he sent an SMS “suicide note” to his friend.

Rajesh, 24, a resident of Ravindranagar in Ramantapur and an artiste working for the Telangana cause, bought a bottle of petrol and went to Tagore Auditorium in OU campus to end his life. He then sent an SMS to his friend, Shankar, who stays in the OU campus. “Forgive me,” said the message. “Instead of defeat in Telangana movement I feel death is better. I am ending my life.”

As soon as he got the message, Shankar called up OU inspector of police, Mr B. Anjaiah, and alerted him.

The inspector stopped a motorcycle of a passerby and sped towards the auditorium. He reached there in the nick of time, when Rajesh was about to douse himself with petrol. Mr Anjaiah pounced on him and wrenched away the petrol bottle. Rajesh was given counselling and handed over to his sister living in Ramanthapur.

“If our officers had been late by a minute, he would have killed himself,” said the East Zone deputy commissioner of police, Mr Mahesh Chandra Laddah. “He said he wanted to die in the same place where Venugopal Reddy killed himself.”