Cops treated me like terrorist: Varavara Rao's son-in-law to move SC against search

Hyderabad: Prof K Satyanarayana, son-in-law of Telugu poet Varavara Rao who is under house arrest in the Koregaon-Bhima violence case, on Thursday said he would approach the Supreme Court against the methods used by police to search his house on August 28.

Satyanarayana, who is the Head of Department of Cultural Studies and Dean of inter-disciplinary studies at the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), also expressed his apprehension that the police might implicate him in the same case as his father-in-law was.

"They (police) treated me like I am a terrorist. They did not leave me even while I was answering nature's call. They even took out and started reading personal and intimate letters between me and my wife written before our marriage. My wife objected to that. I told them that they were hurting human sentiments also," he said.

On August 28, Maharashtra Police conducted searches in various cities and arrested five persons, including Rao, for their alleged links with Maoists.

The houses of Varavara Rao, his two daughters and a journalist were searched in Hyderabad.

"I am going to the Supreme Court. The same team (which is arguing for Varavara Rao), they found my case to be a fit case (to be challenged). I am also submitting details to them today. They will bring this up before the Supreme Court," Satyanarayana told PTI.

He said the police also seized his academic work of the past 20 years.

"I pleaded with them that there is no case against me. The only reason that they raided my house is that I am the son-in-law of Varavara Rao," Satyanarayana said.

He alleged that police asked him to sign a paper which was written in Marathi, after they seized some pen drives, laptops, hard disk and other material from his house.

He said the paper (after being translated) revealed that it was a document pertaining to his in-laws' house search.

When contacted, Pune Joint Commissioner of Police Shivaji Bodkhe said they do not need any warrant for searching houses in the case.

He also dismissed the allegations made by the family members of the arrested activist.

"They have all rights to make allegations. No warrant is required (for searches), no personal remarks made (during searches). We have all the proceedings video recorded. Each and every second has been recorded. Our officers have not made any personal remarks other than their work," Bodkhe told PTI over phone.

Pavana, wife of Satyanarayana and daughter of Rao, said the questions posed to her by some police officials during the search were "indecent".

"They were asking me why I do not look like a Hindu? They asked me--Why don't you wear traditional ornaments worn by married Hindu women? I consider these questions as indecent. Talking about my appearance and my way of dressing and my lifestyle, as a woman activist I certainly consider as indecent, though they were not rude with us," she said.

They also made negative comments about EFLU, saying such universities were useless for society, Pavana alleged.