Boy Burnt to Death in Garrison – CLMC Urges CBI Inquiry

Hyderabad: The Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee (CLMC) has urged action against two military personnel who sodomised and burnt to death a 11-year old boy, Shaikh Mustafa in Military Garrison in Mehdipatnam on October 8. The incident sent shock waves across the city. The boy’s family is a resident of Siddiqnagar, a colony encircled by the Military Garrison located behind the Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital.
A fact-finding team comprising Kaneez Fathima, D. Kotesh, Gurram Seetaramula, D. Nagaraju, Sogra Begum, Tathagata Sengputa, Greeshma Rai and several others which visited the area, said the case was purely a case of sexual assault and murder of an 11-year old boy Shaikh Mustafa by two military persons. It said the area residents were being harassed by the Military personnel as it was encircled by the military areas.
According to the CLMC report, the boy was asked by two men in army uniform to bring chocolates, matchbox and cigarettes. While returning after delivering the same, the boy was pushed on the ground, doused with kerosene and a lighted matchstick was flung at him while fleeing. He sustained 92% burns and succumbed to his burns after being shifted from one hospital to another. The dying declaration was recorded by the Osmania General Hospital XV Chief additional Magistrate A. Srinivas.
The team which met with Humayun Nagar police Inspector S. Ravinder, said teams had been formed to track the culprits. The boy although mentioned two army men, did not specify their names. Ravinder seemed to be of the opinion that the army was conducting its own inquiry.
The SLMC has noted that there has been conflict between residents of Siddiqnagar, who include people of various communities, and the army as the latter has been trying to evacuate the land from civilian population. It also called for CBI inquiry into the incident and effort to shift the cantonments outside the cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad for ensuring better social harmony.