New Delhi

NHRC awaits L-G’s decision on Batla House inquiry

NEW DELHI: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has asked the Delhi police to apprise it, within six weeks, of the decision taken by the Lieutenant-Governor of Delhi on the magisterial probe report on the September 19 Batla House shootout in which two alleged terrorists involved in the Delhi serial blasts were killed.

The Commission had on October 17 sought a report from the Delhi police and an interim report was sent by the police on November 19 stating that an FIR had been registered at the Jamia Nagar police station. The case was initially investigated by the local police and later transferred to the Crime Branch. A Central Forensic Science Laboratory team also visited the scene of occurrence.

The Additional Commissioner of Police (Vigilance) further said: “The issue regarding the magisterial probe into the events relating to the incident has been referred to the L-G.”

Responding to this report, the Commission sought a further report from the Delhi police on the action taken by the L-G. The Commission had taken cognizance of the incident following a complaint lodged by an NGO, Real Cause, suspecting the police version about the incident.

In the incident that was reported at Batla House in Delhi’s Jamia Nagar, two alleged terrorists -- Mohammed Atif Ameen and Mohammed Sajid – involved in the September 13 Delhi serial blasts were killed by the cops.

The police claimed that their team raided the flat following an information and the persons hiding in the flat had fired at the police party as soon as they entered the flat and then the police fired in self-defence. Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma of the Delhi Police Special Cell too died of bullet injuries sustained in the incident.

Several human rights and Muslim organisations and a few political parties have been making a lot of hue and cry over the incident claiming that the encounter was not a real one and the two young men were killed in a cold-blooded manner. But the Delhi police have been maintaining that the allegations are baseless. The NHRC had earlier also denied the Delhi police claim that it had expressed satisfaction over the version given by them on the incident. The NHRC had merely said that it had sought a report from the Delhi police, which was awaited. “A view will be taken by the NHRC after receipt of the report,” it had said then.

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