The eight suspected SIMI operatives who fled from Bhopal central jail on Sunday night were subsequently killed in an encounter jointly conducted by Anti-terror squad and Madhya Pradesh police.
The Supreme Court has issued clear directives on encounter killings and they have to be abided by if such a situation arises. Here are the directives:
1) Every intelligence tip-off regarding criminal movement must be reduced into writing, without disclosing vital information, by the police party before proceeding to nab them.
2) If the encounter results in the death of anyone, the police must immediately register a FIR and furnish a copy to the court having jurisdiction over the area.
3) An independent investigation into the encounter death should be done by the CID or officers from another police station who were not involved in the incident.
4) The probe should be scientific, well-documented and provide a decisive finding on the nature of death in question.
5) The probe should be open to a magisterial inquiry and any dissatisfaction about its fairness could be challenged before a session’s judge.
6) Police probing encounter killing should submit status of probe every six months to the state human rights body and NHRC.
7) No out-of-turn promotion or gallantry award should be given to police officers involved in encounter killings unless the gallantry was proved beyond reasonable doubt.
8) If on the conclusion of the investigation the materials/evidence having come on record show that death had occurred by use of firearm amounting to offence under the IPC, disciplinary action against such officer must be promptly initiated and he is placed under suspension.
Comments
0 comment