The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Wednesday handed over the infamous Palamu encounter case to the CID. The full Bench of the NHRC team comprising Chairman of the commission Justice Hl Dattu, Member Justice D Murugesan and Member Justice SC Sinha also ordered the CID, Jharkhand to submit its report within three months.
Though details of the NHRC's directives could not be obtained, the counsel pleading the case for one of the deceased in the case said that his submission before the commission was to hand the case over to the CBI. "I strongly believe that the CID can't have a fair investigation, as it would comprise of State police personnel itself. However, now that the Commission has shown faith in the CID, I wish it could go for a thorough investigation of the encounter," said lawyer Prakash Kumar.
Security forces had gunned down 12 suspected Maoist rebels, including three children in full battle fatigues, after a fierce shootout in the jungles of Palamu in the wee hours of June 9 last year. This encounter, which had taken place in Bakoria Village of Palamu, about 140 km from Ranchi, was claimed to be one of the greatest successes of the State police in recent times. Police personnel involved in the encounter are also said to have been decorated with medals and given promotions after the encounter.
However, family members of those killed in the encounter cried foul thereafter, claiming that they were innocent villagers. Jawahar Yadav, father of Uday and Neeraj Yadav who were killed in an alleged encounter claimed even on Wednesday that all those killed were forcibly picked up by PlFI insurgents and were assassinated.
The family of the Maoist commander, who was killed in the gunbattle, had also claimed that the rest of the deceased were relatives, who were not involved in Maoist activities. The Jamia Teachers' Solidarity Association had questioned the delay in filing a First Information Report (FIR) in the case. The association also alleged that there was police pressure and interference in passing off the dead persons as Maoists.
Jharkhand Police spokesperson and Additional Director General SN Pradhan, on the other hand, had questioned the activities of those killed asking that if they were innocent, why were they travelling with a top Maoist commander in a SUV full of arms.
The NHRC team organised a first of its kind open hearing of more than 80 cases in Ranchi on Wednesday, which will continue on Thursday also with some last ten cases to be heard.
Meanwhile, in a major relief to silicosis sufferers in the State, the State Government has agreed to award compensation to as many as six people of Saraikela while appearing before the NHRC Bench in a case related to silicosis sufferers. The commission also asked the State Government to take preventive measures against this disease, in place of awarding compensations. last year, the State had awarded a total of Rs. 80 lakh to 20 such patients.