A rape accused was killed on the outskirts of Guwahati on Tuesday night when he allegedly tried to flee from custody after attacking a police team accompanying him for crime scene reconstruction, people aware of the matter said.
A police officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the press, said the accused, Biki Ali, who was in his early 20s, was fired upon when he tried to flee. Abhijit Sarma, superintendent of Guwahati Medical College Hospital, said one in the chest and three in the back.
“He was brought to our hospital after 1 am where he was declared dead. Details of gunshot wounds will be available after the post-mortem. “
Sarma said police officer Twinkle Goswami, the in-charge of Panbazar women’s police station in Guwahati, was also injured in the incident.
“The officer, who sustained minor injuries to her leg and hand, was admitted to the hospital. Her condition is stated to be stable. “
Ali’s killing is the latest in a series of such incidents in Assam since May last year, when the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government returned to power with Himanta Biswa Sarma as the chief minister.
Sarma, who heads the home department, has asked police to be strict against criminals and even shoot them in the legs if they try to flee from custody or attack them. The Gauhati high court is hearing advocate Arif Jwadder’s petition filed in December, alleging 80 cases of fake “encounters” have taken place in the state since May 2021 and left 28 people dead.
In his petition, Jwadder sought an order for the registration of cases over the alleged extra-judicial killings. He pleaded for an independent investigation by a high court judge and monetary compensation for the families of the victims.
Under the court’s supervision, Jwadder also sought a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation, a special investigation team, or a police team from another state. The state government, Assam Police, the National Human Rights Commission of India (NHRC), and the Assam Human Rights Commission (AHRC) have been named as respondents in the petition.
In this case, it is stated that the alleged accused tried to snatch service revolvers from police personnel and, in self-defence, the police had to retaliate and kill or injure the alleged accused. “It can’t be the case that all the alleged accused could snatch a service revolver from a trained police officer whose pistols are normally tied to a rope to the waist belt of the officer,” said the petition.
In an affidavit filed last month in response to the petition, the government said all legal procedures and NHRC guidelines were followed. It said 28 people have been killed and 73 injured in “encounters” between May 10, 2021, and January 28.
In July, Jwadder filed a complaint against such incidents with the NHRC, which sought a report from Assam Police in September. In November, the NHRC transferred the case to the AHRC.
Published by – Kiruthiga K
Edited by – Kritika Kashyap
