Hyderabad, April 15 (IANS): Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) and other Muslim groups in Telangana threatened to launch a state-wide protests against the state government, if it failed to order independent inquiry into killing of five undertrial prisoners by the police.

United Muslim Forum, an umbrella grouping of Muslim organisations, rejected the probe by Special Investigation Team (SIT) ordered by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government.

The public meeting organised by the forum in the old city of Hyderabad on Tuesday night rejected the probe by SIT into April 7 incident.

A resolution passed unanimously at the meet reiterated the demand for a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or by a sitting judge of the high court.

MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi said five undertrials were murdered in cold blood by the police while bringing them to Hyderabad from Warangal Central Jail.

He said the undertrials were handcuffed and chained and hence the police claim was baseless that they tried to snatch weapons and escape. Owaisi demanded immediate suspension of 17 policemen who were escorting the undertrials.