Hyderabad: At a time when several crackdowns on those who practice “black magic” have been launched over the past few years, the unfortunate reality is that cops have not been able to get any of these practitioners of the dark arts convicted.
According to data furnished the the South Zone police, a jurisdiction which covers the Old City, to the State Minorities Commission, of the 16 arrests made since February last year, none of the accused are in jail.
Of the 16, four cases are under investigation. In two cases, the accused have been acquitted. Interestingly, the cases of acquittals appear to be those which the cops had taken up suo motu.
While the provided data clearly stated that the accused have injured a child under the guise of “healing” him, it also showed that no cases of child molestation and extortion have been filed.
In the letter furnished to the SMC chairman Abid Rasool Khan, the cops said that Faiyaz Ansari, who was apprehended last month, had throttled and “poured hot water” on a minor boy. The document also says that he was kept in “nude condition” for several hours.
The issue of not booking cases of child molestation has been noted by the commission.
Speaking to TOI on the issue, the SMC chairman said that minorities panel has taken note of the fact that none of the accused have been convicted thus far. Deliberations on how to deal with the issue are in progress.
“We are concerned about the nil convictions. This is why we are going to consult legal luminaries to see how to curb such cases.
We are thinking of appointing a nodal officer to deal with such cases. We have seen that the victims are mostly belong to the minority community and our deliberations can perhaps help all victims irrespective of the community to which they belong,” Khan said.
Touching upon the Drugs and Magic Remedies Act of 1954, he said, “We will have to look into how this act can be used effectively or sections from other acts can be used against the accused.”
Courtesy: TOI