The State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) on Saturday ordered the State police to submit a factual report on the killing of two Maoists in the Nilambur forests this week.
K. Mohan Kumar, member, SHRC, said it was in the interest of universal human rights and natural justice to urgently solve the mystery that surrounded the controversial killings.
P.K. Raju, a human rights activist and Communist Party Of India (CPI) worker, had moved the SHRC for a thorough probe into the incident.
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On Friday, Kanam Rajendran, State secretary of the CPI, had lent a powerful voice to the growing chorus of demands for a human rights inquiry into the suspected extra-judicial killings. Mr. Rajendran had stated that it was not the policy of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government to gun down persons for their political opinions.
‘Unconvincing’
Mr. Raju said the police version that the “Maoists” were killed in a gun battle was unconvincing. No firearms or expended cartridges were recovered from the spot where the two alleged left extremists were felled.
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No policeman was injured in the “firefight.” The police have failed to explain the exacerbating circumstances that forced them to open fire on the “Maoists.”
The execution of the suspected Maoists did not seem commensurate with the perceived crime they had committed: bivouacking in dense forests with mobile phones and a tablet. The police have to answer why the suspects were not captured or given a chance to surrender. They were entitled to fair trial like any other citizen.
Taking a person’s life through due process of law or in a police action was an extreme exercise of power by the State. Hence, any such maximal executive action warranted intense legal and public scrutiny.
In 14 days
The commission also wanted to know if the police had treated the bodies with dignity. It asked the State Police Chief to clarify whether the police have observed the Supreme Court’s guidelines for investigating “encounter death cases.” The SHRC has given the police 14 days to respond.