The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) will petition the government to register an FIR (first information report), as required by Supreme Court directive, in the November 24 ‘encounter’ deaths in the Nilambur forests.
P.A. Pouran, State general secretary of PUCL, told The Hindu that he petition Nalini Netto, additional chief secretary (Home), on Wednesday to get an FIR registered at once. He would also ask the government to follow the strict guidelines laid down by the apex court in the event of an encounter death.
Mr. Pouran said that a Supreme Court Bench, headed by Justice R.M. Lodha, had in a judgment on September 23, 2014, made it mandatory that an FIR be registered in the event of an encounter death. Other guidelines laid down by the court included placing the police officers concerned under suspension at once.
Asked to testify
Mr. Pouran said that soon after the Nilambur ‘encounter’ in which two Maoists were shot dead by the police, he had sent a petition to the DGP seeking to register a case. A few days ago, he had received a letter from the IGP, Crimes, asking him to testify before a Dy.SP. When he had gone to Nilambur, where the hearing was held, Mr. Pouran found that no FIR was registered and hence he refused to testify.
Mr. Pouran said that it was a serious issue that in spite of the clear directive from the Supreme Court, the police and the State government had failed to register an FIR more than a month after the ‘encounter.’ He said if the government did not give immediate instruction to the police to register an FIR, the PUCL would move the High Court.
