BENGALURU: Bengaluru police’s recent crackdown on criminals has left them quite ‘trigger-happy’. In just a year, there have been 29 cases of criminals getting shot at by the police, including the shootout of dacoits Muneer (38) and Milan (27), which took place on Wednesday. The case was the seventh such instance in a span of 30 days. Senior police officers in the city, who wished to be anonymous, claim such encounters ensure that repeat offenders, do not commit the crime a second time. Others say such encounters were done as a self-defence measure.
Sources said seniors in the department have instructed officers to not hesitate to open fire when it comes to self-defence. “It is not intentional but a message is conveyed whenever there’s an encounter,” said a senior police officer, on condition of anonymity.BK Shivaram, a retired police officer, once known to belong to a team of ‘encounter specialists’, said: “This could be an ugly and dangerous trend. As opposed to creating fear, it might lead to criminals in prison laughing about the situation.”
This trend, he said, could also be a negative reflection on the police officer, if someone files a complaint. “A case of attempt to murder can be booked against them,” he explained. The audacity of youngsters these days is high, said a police officer. “They don’t bother about circumstances. From stabbing and shooting policemen to pushing them into drains, all this happens openly. The rowdies, mostly aged between 20 and 40 years, are fearless. They try all ways to evade arrests. If we open at least one round of fire, others will get the message,” he said.
The State Human Rights Commission, however, has been filing suo motto cases against the officers involved in these shootouts and has asked for a detailed report of the 29 cases. Activists claim these kinds of attacks might not be the only way to “teach them a lesson” or “refrain them from getting back to crime”. “Police should ensure better implementation of laws. Investigations should be so apt that the charge sheet filed against them should ensure that they are behind bars. Shooting is not the solution,” said an officer from the State Human Rights Commission.