Hyderabad vet murder: Parents of accused rapists claim 2 of them were minors

Yes, I agree that my son committed a heinous offence, but the police cannot kill,” said Rajanna, Shiva's father.

Parents of Jollu Shiva and Jollu Naveen, two of the four accused in Disha’s case, claim that their sons, who were killed by police in an exchange of fire at Chatanpalli near Shadnagar, were minors.

While Shiva was 17-year-old, his cousin, Naveen, was 18-year-old, they said with bonafide certificates to back up.

The age of the two came in sharp focus after the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) investigation team camping in Hyderabad asked for their bonafide certificates to ascertain the fact that they were juveniles. Parents of the two accused killed in exchange of fire were summoned on Sunday to Hyderabad to give their version.

According to the school admission register, Shiva was born on August 15, 2002, which means he was 17 years, three months and 22 days old when he was killed in the exchange of fire on December 6. The bonafide certificate issued by the Government Primary School in Gudigandla, mentioned that Shiva studied in the local school from Class II in 2008 to Class V in 2012.

Jollu Naveen’s mother, Jollu Laxmi, too claimed her son was minor. “My son was born at the end of 2002, and four years later, my husband, Yellappa, died of cancer,” she maintained.

Locals said both Shiva and Naveen were school dropouts and studied only till Class VII. For the past one year, they were working as lorry cleaners.

On Monday, Naveen’s uncle went to the Government High School at Chinnaporla, where the slain accused studied till Class VII. The school authorities had not yet issued the certificate.

During a visit to the village on Monday, The Hindu found the families of the three accused desperately waiting for the dead bodies.

Laxmi said the villagers told her that Naveen as a minor. Jollu Laxmi leaning against the wall of their tiny house in Gudigandla village, about 50 km from Mahabubnagar, said she learnt about her son’s death only through new channels.

“Even after they were shifted to Cherlapally Central Prison, the police did not allow me to see my son,” Laxmi, a farm labourer, said wailing inconsolably.

She said that in the early hours of November 29, Ch. Chennakeshavulu came to their house and asked Naveen to follow him. Later in the day, a team of police officers took his used clothes. “Even if he committed the offence, they (police) shouldn't have killed him so cruelly,” Ms. Laxmi said.

A five-minute walk from here leads to Jollu Shiva’s house, who took the vet’s bike for repair on the fateful night of November 27 near Tondupally toll gate of Outer Ring Road in Shamshabad, and a few minutes later joined the pack to assault her.

Calling the ‘encounter’ a grave injustice, Shiva’s father, Rajanna, a shepherd in Tenali in Guntur district, said that they would have accepted even capital punishment from the court of law.

“Yes, I agree that my son committed a heinous offence, but the police cannot kill,” said Mr. Rajanna.

“What if my brother was innocent? Charges were not proved against him,” said Shiva’s sister Rajeshwari.

On Sunday morning, Naveen’s mother Laxmi and Shiva’s father Rajanna were taken to Hyderabad to meet the investigation team of the NHRC.

“They spoke to us separately for more than an hour, asking about the family’s financial condition and my slain son,” Mr. Rajanna said.