Protesters demand independent probe into Batla House encounter

A students' group today held a protest march to mark the fifth anniversary of the Batla House encounter and demanded an independent and impartial probe into the incident.
"The killing of youths at the L18 Batla house on September 19, 2008 was not an encounter. We demand that the Congress-led UPA government order an independent enquiry into the killing," said Abdul Nazar, president of Campus Front of India.
The protesters also questioned the integrity of Congress, saying it was afraid of an inquiry.
"While former Home Minister P Chidambaram gave a clean chit to police by terming the encounter genuine, another party leader, Digvijay Singh, raised questions about the encounter.

"Even Congress is split on this issue, so an inquiry would make everything clear," they said.
The march, led by Nazar, began at House No.L18 (where the encounter had taken place) and went up to Jamia Millia Islamia with police in between trying to stop the protesters.
Nazar said if an enquiry was not held into the killings, the issue could become a cause for Congress's defeat in the upcoming Delhi and Lok Sabha elections.