NHRC TEAM TO PROBE 17 UP ENCOUNTERS
LUCKNOW : The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) ordered on Thursday constitution of a team to find “facts” related to 17 cases of alleged encounter killings in UP. The team will submit its report within four weeks. The commission ordered investigation on a complaint filed by lawyer Prashant Bhusan and members of the civil society organisations against the spate of extra judicial killings by UP police last year.
LUCKNOW: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) ordered on Thursday constitution of a team to find “facts” related to 17 cases of alleged encounter killings in UP.
The team will submit its report within four weeks.
The commission ordered investigation on a complaint filed by lawyer Prashant Bhusan and members of the civil society organisations against the spate of extra judicial killings by UP police last year.
The commission directed the director general, investigation (NHRC), to constitute a fivemember investigation team, consisting of one SSP rank officer, two deputy SPs and two inspectors, to look into the 17 encounters. The team will record the statement of affected families and other necessary examination relating to the alleged incidents of encounter deaths and submit its report. Out of the 17 cases, 15 are already registered with the commission in which report had been sought from the state government. The commission registered two remaining cases after issuing notices to the chief secretary and DGP, UP. The commission has also directed the DGP to give necessary directions to concerned investigation officers to submit the status of investigation and produce documents such as FIRs, chargesheets, general daily dairy of the police station, wireless log book, log book of the vehicles used by the police officers engaged in the encounters, call detail record of the mobile used by the deceased and police officers engaged in the encounters.
In a press release, Bhusan and members of the organisation Citizen against Hate said, the aggrieved families met NHRC chairperson HL Dattu on May 7.
They handed over a complaint and affidavits to counter the police version of the encounters.
A fact finding report by civil society organization of another 8 cases where families were not able to give their statement was also presented.The complainants alleged that the police encounters were not spontaneous shoot outs but planned and pre-meditated extra judicial killings.
There was a repetition of sequence of events with a strikingly similar pattern followed in each of these alleged encounters.
The data released by the state police stated that 50 criminals were killed in 129 encounters. The complaint also highlighted similar circumstances in most of the alleged encounter killings like abduction of the victims before the incident.
The complainants requested the NHRC to take serious notice of these killings, order an immediate impartial investigation into the 17 cases presented before it and take strict action against the concerned police officials in accordance with the Supreme Court and NHRC guidelines on encounter deaths.
Earlier, the commission had taken suo motu cognizance of police encounters that took place on November 22 last year and issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh government. The report submitted by the state government was considered by commission on May 4. The commission will take up the case for hearing after eight weeks.
OF THE 17 CASES, 15 ARE ALREADY REGISTERED WITH THE COMMISSION IN WHICH REPORT HAD BEEN SOUGHT FROM THE STATE GOVERNMENT