Hyderabad COVID-19 racism case: 3 accused in police custody

Guwahati: The Rachakonda police in Hyderabad, Telangana took three persons into custoday, including two security guards and the manager of Star Market, after an FIR was filed over two youths hailing from Manipur being denied entry into the supermarket due to their “physical appearance” on Wednesday.

The FIR, which was lodged by the two youths, attracted swift action by the police department of Rachakonda, which took security guard Kuchamalla Shankaraiah and Dileep Kumar and store manager Derangula Venkat into custody on Thursday. “The director of Star Market also called us up in the evening to apologise for the entire incident,” said one of the two youths.

Later, Mahesh Bhagwat, Rachakonda commissioner of Police, personally interacted with the two youths and handed over two bags of rice, pulses and other essential items to them as a gesture of good faith.

The swift action comes right after the video of the security guard barring the two boys — pursuing civil engineering at St Mary’s Group of Institutions in Hyderabad — to get some grocery items from Star Market shopping mart in Vanastalipuram amid the national lockdown.

Not only did the guards barred them from entering the premises but they also asked them to prove their “Indianness” with some official IDs, which they did in the form of Aadhaar cards. However, even after that, they were stopped from proceeding inside the mart which became obvious due to their Mongoloid features. The boys had to return home empty-handed.

The matter was brought to the attention of Union minister of state for youth affairs & sports (independent charge) Kiren Rijiju by EastMojo editor-in-chief Karma Paljor, who promised follow-up action. He later thanked the police for the “prompt action”.