Feroz kin seek CBI probe into "fake encounter" in Delhi

An article was published in a local Hindi daily on August 18, titled "Dreaded gangster arrested", mentioned that Feroz was picked up by the Delhi Police Special Cell on August 17.

Relatives and neighbours of Feroz in Loni area of Ghaziabad on Wednesday. Photo: R.V. Moorthy

Family members of Feroz, who was killed in an encounter with the Delhi Police Special Cell on Tuesday, have demanded a CBI inquiry into his death claiming that it was a “fake encounter”.

They claimed that the policemen at the Sonia Vihar police station told them that the Special Cell personnel just dropped Feroz’s body at the police station and no encounter took place in the area.

Another reason is an article published in a local Hindi daily on August 18. The article, titled “Dreaded gangster arrested”, mentioned that Feroz was picked up by the Delhi Police Special Cell on August 17.

No idea of Feroz’s whereabouts

The family members said they had no idea about Feroz till they read about his arrest in the newspaper. “Feroz did not come home after the constable’s death on July 16 and we had no idea of his whereabouts. It was only after reading the newspaper report that we got to know he has been arrested. My wife then sent a fax to senior Delhi Police officers enquiring about my son, but we did not receive any response. Till yesterday, we were thinking that he has been arrested,” said Feroz’s father Irshad Ali.

“The police are saying that they intercepted him in Sonia Vihar on August 19. How is it possible when he had already been in their custody since August 17? They also said that he fired at one of the policemen. All this is a lie; they killed my son in custody and called it an encounter,” he said.

“This is a fake encounter and I want a CBI inquiry into it,” said Mr. Ali.

The family members have also alleged that the police are responsible for Feroz’s wife going missing. “First they kill my brother in a fake encounter and now they are not giving us information about his wife. She was with him before August 17. Ever since they arrested him, she has been missing. When we went to Sonia Vihar police station to enquire about her, the policemen ridiculed us and sent us back,” said Feroz’s brother Sher Khan.

The family has also refuted the police claims of naming them in different criminal cases. “My father drives a truck and we sell clothes as a part-time business. This is what we do for earning our daily bread. Neither I nor my parents are involved in any criminal case,” said Mr. Khan.