A five member team of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is on a three day visit of Jharkhand to inquire into Satbarwa encounter case where 12 suspected Maoists were gunned down by the security forces at Bakoria village in Palamu. The investigation is being done in the light of the complaint lodged with the NHRC by one of the victim’s wife that JJMP killed her husband Uday Yadav along with 11 others and informed the police and a a fake story of encounter was fabricated by them.
“Yes the five member team is here and has been making intensive interrogations both from the police officials posted in Palamu at that time as well as the family members of the victims,” said a senior police official requesting anonymity. The team during investigations also went to Panki and Manika as well as Majhgaon in Chatra to collect facts of the incident, he added.
The official further said that the ages of the victims are also being verified by the team.
Some of the prominent persons who were interrogated by the NHRC team are the then IG of Palamu A Natrajan, SP Mayur Kanhaiyalal Patel, Commandant of 134th and 11th battalion, Satbarwa Police Station Officer in Charge Md. Rustam alongwith several other officers and jawans.
The team asked officials when they got the information and what was the course of action after they got the information. Incidentally, wife of one of the victim Uday Yadav had lodged a complaint with NHRC that JJMP has killed her husband along with 11 others and informed the police which went to the site and fabricated a fake story of encounter. Out of the 12 persons killed in the encounter, 11 persons did not have any criminal background.
Moreover, the police even and CRPF officials had distributed prizes to those who were involved in the encounter without completing investigations in this regard. CRPF had distributed DG shields among the jawans while DGP distributed cash reward among jawans at the encounter site.
Following media reports, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had also taken suo motu cognisance of the killings of suspected Maoists which was dubbed as fake by the victims' relatives and also the banned rebel outfit.
The encounter took place in the wee hours of June 9, when the security forces intercepted the two speeding vehicles and the ‘Maoists’ on board allegedly started firing on them.
According to police the Maoists who got killed in the encounter also included ‘Dr Bomb’ or ‘doctorwa’ who had planted 2 kg bomb inside the dead jawan's stomach in 2013. Of the 12 male bodies, one was a para-teacher and four looked like minors, raising doubts on whether the four were innocent casualties.