Conduct impartial probe into killing in police encounter, demands Punjab BJP

Chandigarh, Feb 27 (IANS) Punjab BJP President Sunil Jakhar on Friday asked the Punjab government to take initiative to conduct an impartial investigation in order to prove its credibility in the killing of a man in police encounter in Gurdaspur district.  

He said the version being put forward by the police "is creating doubts among the public and is raising serious questions about the credibility of the government and the police".

Jakhar told the media here that the government has lost the trust of the people, and citizens are no longer able to believe what it says.

"To restore its lost credibility, it is essential for the government to come forward and order an impartial inquiry," he said.

Jakhar said staged encounters are unacceptable in any civilised society.

He termed them a gross violation of human rights, adding that in the context of Punjab, it "becomes even more important to conduct a serious investigation in such cases because the state has endured a long and painful history of fake encounters during its dark phase".

Jakhar clarified that he is neither saying who is guilty and who is innocent, nor is he claiming whether the encounter was fake or genuine.

However, he said the police narrative "is not being accepted by the public. The deceased's family and society at large are raising questions".

"It is astonishing that a young man escaped from police custody and, within a short time, i.e. late at night. managed to obtain a motorcycle and a weapon, only to be killed in an encounter at the next checkpoint."

Answers to such questions, he said, can only emerge through an impartial investigation.

He emphasised that even "if someone is guilty, the authority to punish lies with the courts. When the police themselves act as judge and deliver punishment, it poses one of the gravest challenges to democracy. Therefore, a time-bound and impartial inquiry into the encounter is necessary, with the inclusion of social activists as well, so that the questions being raised about the police's credibility can be addressed".

--IANS

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