After directing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe into the alleged extra-judicial killings in Manipur much to the chagrin of the armed forces, the Supreme Court on Monday sought responses from the Centre, the Defence Ministry, Assam and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) accusing the armed forces and Assam Police of allegedly indulging in a fake encounter in Assam.
Also Read: Assam ‘staged encounter’: Supreme Court notice to Centre, State
A report published in the The Times of India stated that petitioner and the former Finance Secretary EAS Sarma based his PIL on a report filed by CRPF Inspector General (IG) Rajnish Rai in April 2017 alleging “cold blooded fake encounter killing of two suspected members of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (Songbijit) faction” on March 30 last year in Assam’s Simalguri village. Sarma, who took voluntary retirement in 2000 to champion the right to information cause, got associated with former Delhi High Court (HC) Chief Justice
AP Shah for protection of whistle-blowers and claimed a PIL filed by him was instrumental in the SC banning Salwa Judum in Chhattisgarh.
The report further stated that after a brief presentation by senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud issued notices also to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC); General Officer Commanding of 4 Corps and Chairperson of Operational Group, Unified Command; Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB); CRPF Commandant Rajesh Pandey posted in Chirang district of Assam; CRPF’s Deputy Inspector General (Operations) NK Bharadwaj in Chirang district as well as Rajnish Rai.
The petitioner cited newspaper stories on Rai’s April 17 report claiming that he had interacted with witnesses to the “fake encounter” and had sought a thorough probe into the March 30, 2017, joint operation by Army, Assam police, CRPF and SSB at Simalguri village in Chirang district, resulting in killing of suspected NDFB (S) members Lucas Narzary aka N Langfa and David Islary alias Dayud. Sarma quoted Rai, who in his report had said, “I (Rai) would not have been so concerned had this act been committed by a group of few deviant officers. However, since multiple security agencies were involved in the incident, it indicates deeper institutional malady in the functioning of the country’s most prestigious security forces. It represents a dangerous deterioration and degradation of institutional processes.” Rai had further said, “Security forces do not have the right to kill them (most dastardly of criminals/militants) in cold blood under the cloak of larger societal good. Therefore, it is crucial to strike a balance between individual human rights and societal interests while combating insurgency. Failure to do so is a cure worse than the disease.”
Also Read:CBI books Army officer in Manipur ‘extra judicial killings’ case
Rai has been in the eye of a storm since he, as a Gujarat police officer, indicted top cops PC Pandey and OP Mathur for their alleged role in attempting to misdirect the Sohrabuddin and Tulsiram Prajapati fake encounter cases.
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