Owaisi for SC probe, dubs government's SIMI encounter theory 'unbelievable'

All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) Chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday said the elimination of eight SIMI activists by Madhya Pradesh police at the same place on the outskirts of Bhopal could not have taken place, and called for a Supreme Court-monitored inquiry to unveil the truth.

Owaisi said, "The facts which have been shared by the government are not satisfactory, their theory seems unbelievable, and plus the video which is on social media shows that they are being shot. So, an impartial enquiry is very important. I would like to request the Madhya Pradesh government to agree to a SC-monitored enquiry."

Defending its action to open fire on the eight SIMI terrorists who broke out of Bhopal Central Jail on Monday morning, Madhya Pradesh Police asserted that the escapees were neutralised in 'retaliatory' fire, adding that the suspects have been continuously perpetrating serious offences and had also killed police constables in 2008 and 2011.

Bhopal's Inspector General of Police Yogesh Choudhary said all eight SIMI terrorists were killed in cross-firing and had a track record of being involved in serious crimes before.

"We garnered all possible resources and launched search and patrol parties after we got intelligence that around 7-8 people were seen by locals. It was difficult to locate them as the unequal terrain was a disadvantage, but soon our team was fired upon when we challenged the suspects," he said.

The eight terrorists of the banned SIMI group escaped from the Bhopal Central Jail after killing a guard. They were gunned down in an encounter by the state police yesterday.

Chaudhary claimed they had weapons and were killed as they were trying to flee.

"They were killed in cross firing. It was a big challenge and the team accepted it properly," he said.