Life convict of Hyderabad's Cherlapally central prison threatens suicide, seeks justice

HYDERABAD: A high octane drama unfolded near the Cherlapally central prison in the city when a life convict in a murder case climbed up a high-tension power transmission tower threatening to jump from it if action was not initiated against a police official.Khaja Pasha (40), an accused in a 2012 murder, was convicted in 2013 for life by a local court. He was subsequently serving imprisonment at Cherlapally central prison. Khaja then appealed to the Hyderabad High Court challenging the lower court order. On March 7, the High Court gave judgement in the case supporting the judgement of the local court. ​

A dejected Khaja, on Monday, climbed a power transmission tower near the petrol-pump run by the prisons department and threatened the officials. He alleged that the then Shankarpally sub-inspector Nagaraju had falsely implicated him in the murder case, and demanded action against him. The higher-ups of the prisons department, fire officials, and officials of the police department rushed to the spot. It took around 3 hours for the officials to pacify Pasha and bring him down. 

Cherlapally central prison superintendent MR Bhaskar said Khaja has served five years of his term already. There are just two more years left in his prison term and he has never before behaved in this manner, he added. “On March 7, the High Court ordered Khaja to undergo life imprisonment in a murder case. He had killed his wife suspecting her fidelity. On Monday, he climbed the tower located adjacent to the petrol pump and made these allegations,” said the superintendent.

Answering a query, he said, “At any given time, at least eight convicts work at the petrol pump and two warders from the department keep an eye on them. From 2016 onwards, Khaja is working outside the prison premises. He was one of the convicts with a good behaviour record.”