Errors in the remand case diary of four accused in the 2019 Disha gang rape and murder case were due to ‘copy-paste’ mistake, clarified the then Shadnagar ACP Vasam Surender.
Mr. Surender, who is currently posted in the CID, on Thursday gave his deposition before the three-member Commission constituted by the Supreme Court to inquire into the alleged encounter killings of the four accused by Cyberabad police on December 6, 2019.
He was grilled by the Commission on why the remand case diary states owner of the lorry Patolla Srinivas Reddy brought the accused A1 to A4 to the police station.
“It is a ‘copy-paste’ mistake. The text in the column referring to Mr. Reddy should have been entered against another column and instead it was pasted by mistake against Mr. Reddy,” he said, adding that it was a ‘human error’ by writer Sadath Ali.
The officer was asked how and when the accused were apprehended and brought to the police station from Jaklair and Gudigandla villages in Narayanpet district and at what time their confessional statements were recorded and when their arrest was recorded. For which Mr. Surender informed the panel that first prime accused Mohammed Arif was apprehended by the then Shadnagar inspector A Sridhar Kumar, from Jaklair village after the lorry owner showed them the accused. Later, based on Arif’s information other three — Jollu Naveen, Jollu Shiva, and Ch. Chennakeshavulu — were apprehended from Gudigandla and brought to Shadnagar police station.
“After recording their confessional statements, I issued ‘Arrest and Court Surrender Memo’,” the officer said.
Earlier, Mr. Surender was questioned on entries in the logbook, which was submitted to the Commission by the Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), Telangana.
“Some of the entries in the logbook are incorrect. It might have been recorded by the officials of the NHRC. I don’t know how the logbook reached the Additional DGP. There is no covering letter addressed by me attached to this log. To my knowledge this log was typed by the NHRC team,” he said.
The Commission recorded his reply and asked: “Why do you say that the log was typed by NHRC even though it was submitted by ADG to the panel?”
The officer replied: “The NHRC team inquired me about my movements day wise from November 28, 2019, to December 6, 2019, based on my call detail records. Therefore, I remember that the said log was typed by NHRC.”
Further, the Commission asked him how he signed the log despite having incorrect entries. “My statement was recorded in the late-night till 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. I was not even in a position to talk. A small argument also occurred between me and them (NHRC team). They insisted that I should sign and therefore I affixed my signature,” the officer clarified.
He was also asked whether he met the then Cyberabad Commissioner of Police V.C. Sajjanar at his residence on December 3, 2019. “No,” Mr. Surender said.