Shiv Sena seeks judicial probe into ‘fake encounter’ in Kalaburagi
Shiv Sena State president Siddalinga Swami has demanded an independent judicial inquiry into the “fake encounter” involving one of the prisoners who escaped from the
Shiv Sena State president Siddalinga Swami has demanded an independent judicial inquiry into the “fake encounter” involving one of the prisoners who escaped from the Kalaburagi Central Prison in the early hours on Tuesday. In a press release issued here on Thursday, Siddalinga Swami questioned the circumstances under which the accused, arrested by Bidar Police and later handed over to Kalaburagi Police, was not handcuffed despite facing serious criminal charge.
He urged the police to release the complete video footage from the time of the accused’s arrest in Bidar until him being handed over to Kalaburagi Police to ensure transparency. Stating that the subsequent police firing amounted to a “fake encounter”, the Shiv Sena leader said that any extra-judicial use of lethal force will constitute a serious violation of Article 21 of the Constitution which guarantees the right to life.
He maintained that the police officers have no authority to take the law into their own hands except in strictly defined situations involving self-defence. Citing the Supreme Court’s guidelines and the Human Rights Commission’s protocols on encounter deaths, he said that every such incident must be subjected to a mandatory magisterial inquiry and an independent investigation by an agency such as the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Siddalinga Swami urged the State government to order a comprehensive probe headed by a retired High Court judge into the present case as well as previous “fake encounters” involving police opening fire at accused in Kalaburagi.
He also called for stringent legal action against officials found guilty of violating the law and said that the government should ensure a conducive environment for affected families to seek legal remedies.
The BriefWire