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HomeIndiaGovernanceNHRC issues notice to UP chief secretary, DGP over encounter killings

NHRC issues notice to UP chief secretary, DGP over encounter killings

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NHRC orders the constitution of an investigating team of five members comprising one SSP, two deputy SPs and two inspectors

New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh (UP) chief secretary and the state director general of police (DGP) in light of the encounters by the state police there, according to a press statement by advocate Prashant Bhushan. The apex rights body has also ordered an investigation into the alleged cases of extrajudicial executions.

The notice comes after nine families of victims of those killed in encounters in Uttar Pradesh, represented by Bhushan and representatives from the fact finding team of Citizens Against Hate, met the NHRC chairperson justice H.L. Dattu on 8 May.

The complainants have alleged that the extrajudicial killings have taken place under strikingly similar patterns that debunk the police’s claims of genuine encounters. They also alleged that the police had unleashed a wave of victimisation of innocent people under the guise of maintaining law and order.

It has also been alleged that since the present government came to power, there have been almost 1,200 cases of extrajudicial killings in UP.

“Considering the gravity of the matter, the Commission requests its DG(I) to constitute an investigating team of five members, consisting of one SSP, two Dy.SPs and two Inspectors to make the fact finding enquiry of all the 17 cases where alleged encounter killings had taken place by recording the statements of affected families and other necessary examination relating to the alleged incident of encounter deaths and to submit report within four weeks,” the order dated 9 May read.

On 5 March, ThePrint was among the first to investigate and report about the alarming questions on the UP government’s “success story” of fighting crime with the bullet and eliminating 39 gangsters in 10 months. In its series of reports, ThePrint suggested that the 39 alleged criminals shot dead were among the 1,142 “encounters” in 10 months in one of India’s most lawless states, and the count was still rising.

According to UP government numbers, between March 2017 and May this year, police have conducted 1,478 encounters, in which 50 suspected criminals have been killed.

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