The Hindu : New Delhi News : Focus on killings in the name of “encounter” Law & order

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Oct 20, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

Focus on killings in the name of “encounter” Law & order

CP shooting case has exposed the manner in which fake evidence is planted to justify such irresponsible acts, observes Devesh K. Pandey

The conviction of ten policemen, including a dismissed Assistant Commissioner of Police, in the much talked about 1997 Connaught Place shooting case has once again brought to the fore the controversial issue of gunning down criminals in the name of “encounter” killings. Also, it has exposed the manner in which fake evidence is planted to justify such irresponsible acts.

The police officers involved in the Connaught Place shooting planted evidence such as firearm and empty cartridges to prove that those killed were desperate criminals and that the victims were the ones to open fire first. When it was proved before the court that the firearm seized from the “criminals” had not been used for a while, the accused took up the plea that the “wrong” men were gunned down because of mistaken identity. They put forth various excuses to wriggle out of a case of cold-blooded murder.

However, all their arguments fell like ninepins one after the other as the court concluded that the guilty policemen were basically out to kill the person they had been looking for. The manner in which the operation was conducted and that too in the heart of the Capital in broad daylight indicates that the police officers were confident of getting away with the staged encounter and went on raining bullets at the victims without any provocation. They made no attempt to immobilise the vehicle in which the two businessmen were travelling, making it clear that their intention was to kill at any cost. It is a fact that before the Connaught Place incident ACP S. S. Rathi was considered one of the most talented officers in the force but the case left him disgraced. Sadly it appears that lessons have not been learnt from that episode and there are still many black sheep in the force who take to unlawful means to further their career prospects.

A case in point is the alleged involvement of ten former members of the Special Staff of the North Delhi police in the killing of two persons in a fake encounter in July last year. The policemen allegedly abducted the victims from Ghaziabad and gunned them down in cold blood at Timarpur, later claiming they were killed in a retaliatory fire.

Inquiries into the case led to shocking revelations. The policemen who had conspired to carry out the fake encounter allegedly disclosed that while one of them wanted to settle scores with one of the victims, the others joined him hoping that their job would be appreciated and they would get out-of-turn promotions.

Such cases show to what extent the current practice of giving recognition, rewards and promotions plays a role in instigating policemen to carry out fake operations. Given these circumstances, the authorities will do well to refrain from promoting such practices and instead laying emphasis on basic policing. Setting up a separate body, sans any policeman, to verify the authenticity of all such encounters is long overdue.

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