NHRC begins probe into Telangana encounter, 2 PILs in SC seek action against police

Beginning its 'fact-finding' probe, a seven-member NHRC team on Saturday visited the site where the four men arrested on charges of gangrape and murder of a veterinarian were shot dead in an alleged encounter, while two PILs were filed in the Supreme Court seeking investigation by an SIT into the killings and action against the police.

A day after the pre-dawn 'encounter', Telangana police said that they have registered a case in connection with the incident and the four accused killed by it in "retaliatory firing" have been booked for "attacking" the cops who had accompanied them.

Amid a raging debate over the police action, the widow of one of the accused squatted on a road along with some others at her village in Narayanpet district, alleging that injustice has been done to her.

"How many are there in jail for having made mistakes...they should also be shot dead.... We will not bury the bodies till then," said Renuka, the pregnant wife of Chennakeshavulu who was killed by the police in the alleged encounter on Friday.

The team from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), including a forensic medicine expert, reached Chattanpalli village, about 50 kms from here, and visited the spot where the charred remains of the woman were found beneath a culvert on November 28 as also also the encounter site nearby.

"They visited the scene of the crime and are in the process of investigation," DCP (Shamshabad Zone) N Prakash Reddy told reporters.

Officials said the team examined the bodies of the accused kept at a mortuary at a government hospital at Mahabubnagar. An expert who is part of the team that conducted the autopsy said the NHRC team checked whether the post-mortem was conducted as per protocol, among others.

He said the post-mortem report would be prepared in two days.

Two petitions were filed on Saturday in the Supreme Court seeking an SIT probe into the killings and compensation for the families of the four men.

While the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by advocate M L Sharma said that the SIT probe should be monitored by former apex court judges, a separate petition filed by lawyers G S Mani and Pradeep Kumar Yadav said that independent investigation against concerned police officials should be conducted.

Sharma alleged that it was a case of "extra-judicial killings" and sought prosecution of policemen involved in the incident.

The PIL, which may come up for hearing next week, also seeks action against Samajwadi Party MP and Bollywood actress Jaya Bachchan and Chairperson of Delhi Commission for Women Swati Maliwal for alleged "provocation" and "pressuring police for extrajudicial killing of arrested persons in police custody without trial."