TGHRC Urges Police Reform in Telangana Following Allegations of Coercion & Assault
(Syed Ali Taher Abedi)
Hyderabad, 22-, July, 2025-India – In a significant step towards reinforcing the protection of human rights within the law enforcement system, the Hon’ble Telangana State Human Rights Commission (TGHRC), under the leadership of Hon’ble Dr. Justice Shameem Akther, issued a strong recommendation to the Director General of Police (DGP), Telangana. The Commission called for clear, binding instructions to be circulated across the police force, emphasizing the urgent need to prevent officers from threatening, coercing, or influencing complainants who are seeking legal remedies.
“During the course of submission, it is brought to the notice of the commission by the complainant Mr. G. Prashanth Kumar that he has filed a private complaint before the competent criminal court concerning the subject dispute along with credible evidence in his possession and the same is pending consideration before the court concerned He further submitted that ever since filing of private complain the has been facing consistent threats harassments and pressure from the accused police personnel who are coercing him to withdraw the private complaint
The directive followed a thorough examination of a case (HRC 3064 of 2018) filed by Mr. G. Prashanth Kumar and another individual, who alleged serious violations by police personnel at Santosh Nagar Police Station in April 2018. The complaints included illegal detention, physical assault, and attempts by officers to force the withdrawal of a private legal complaint.
While acknowledging that the matter is still pending in the judiciary, the Commission noted that the allegations raised critical concerns warranting immediate preventive action. The possibility of complainants being intimidated by law enforcement during an ongoing judicial process was deemed unacceptable and contrary to the principles of natural justice and human rights.
Exercising its authority under Section 18 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, the TGHRC issued the following recommendations:
The DGP should ensure that explicit and enforceable guidelines are communicated to all police personnel to refrain from interfering with complainants’ access to legal recourse.
“The Commission has a statutory obligation to inquire into complaints of human rights violations or negligence in their prevention by public servants and to recommend remedial measures to the Government for prevention of human rights violations. Under these circumstances, in view of the powers vested with this commission under section 18 of the protection of Human Rights Act,1993, this commission makes such recommendations
A preliminary departmental enquiry must be launched to examine the alleged misconduct by officials from Santoshnagar Police Station.
The complainant must be protected from harassment and allowed to pursue legal action without fear or influence.
These actions, the Commission stated, are crucial to restoring public confidence in the justice system and ensuring that no citizen is dissuaded or obstructed in their pursuit of justice.
