Taking serious note of the recent death of a youngster in a firing by Anti-Naxal Force (ANF) personnel at a checkpost near Sringeri, Home Minister K J George on Sunday ordered a CID probe into the incident.
“The death of the youth in the firing by ANF personnel is a serious issue. The ANF personnel have stated that they opened fire on a group which was said to have been mistaken for Naxalites. But there are so many issues involved in the episode that need to be probed,” the minister told Express.
He said the CID probe will be in addition to the magisterial enquiry being conducted. He added that he has asked the CID chief to complete the probe at the earliest and submit a report within a couple of days. George expressed condolences to the family of the deceased and assured that action would be taken if the ANF personnel were found guilty of violation of their service rules. “There are several questions that have been raised. The ANF personnel should have fired below the knee or fired warning shots first. All these aspects will be probed,” he said.
The Incident
The ANF personnel allegedly shot dead Kabir, suspecting him to be a Naxalite, when he, along with some people, was transporting cattle in a mini-truck. His accomplices are said to have attempted to flee when the ANF personnel stopped them at the checkpost.
The incident took an ugly turn when activists of a right wing organisation allegedly attacked the family members of the deceased youth when they arrived to take the body for last rites. The family members were attacked and their vehicle was damaged. The injured were treated at a local hospital.
The police had to resort to mild lathi-charge to bring the situation under control. The police have arrested some of the alleged assailants.
“I have also ordered the police to take stringent action against the group that assaulted the relatives of the deceased,” George said.