HYDERABAD: Taking suo-motu cognizance of the ‘encounter killings’ in Hyderabad, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday ordered immediate enquiry into the matter by the Investigation Division of the Commission headed by a Senior SP.
The urgency of the team was such that they arrived in Hyderabad on Friday evening and are expected to examine the bodies on Saturday.
Post the killings, a team from Gandhi hospital did a preliminary post-mortem examination at the spot of the encounter.
The bodies have been shifted to Mahbubnagar district government hospital where the bodies were to be kept for further probe and then hand over to their respective families for final rights.
However with NHRC intervention and order to have a look at the bodies of the four deceased, the handing over of the bodies to the family was stopped.
The NHRC took a stern stand on the issue and that was reflected in their official press release. “The incident clearly indicates that the police personnel were not alert and prepared for any untoward activity by the accused on the spot, which resulted in the death of all the four,” the release said.
They further said, “Death of four persons in alleged encounter with the police personnel when they were in their custody, is a matter of concern for the Commission. Commission is aware that growing incidents of sexual assault and violence against women has created an atmosphere of fear and anger amongst public at large but loss of human lives even of a person arrested by the police under law, in such circumstances, would definitely give a wrong message to society.”
Though the commission took up the case suo-motu, several activists wrote to the NHRC to look into the matter and also asked for a special team of autopsy surgeons from Delhi to undertake independent video-graphing of the post- mortem.
A plaint by the CHRI and People’s Watch organisation has further sought examination of all case records.