Friday, March 29, 2024

Assam: HC orders Govt to file affidavit on police encounters

Gauhati High Court on Tuesday asked the BJP led Assam government to file a detailed affidavit on the police encounters that have been taking place since May 2021.

Hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed by advocate Arif Md Yeasin Jwadder, a High Court bench, comprising Chief Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice Soumitra Saikia, asked Assam advocate general Devajit Lon Saikia to submit the detailed affidavit related to the encounters.

Jwadder claimed in the PIL that more than 80 fake encounters took place since Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma took charge in May.

The alleged encounter resulted in 28 deaths and more than 48 injuries.

The next hearing in the case is on 25 January.

Veteran lawyer Indira Jaising argued in the case on behalf of the petitioner. Jaising urged the court to direct the state to upload the FIRs on their website if the cases have been registered.

Besides the Assam government, Assam Police DGP, state law and justice department, National Human Rights Commission and Assam Human Rights Commission have been named as respondents in the petition.

The petitioner sought a judicial inquiry by a sitting judge of Gauhati high court and monetary compensation to the victims’ family after due verification.

Earlier, the petitioner had filed a complaint on the alleged fake encounters with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) against the Assam Police over the series of encounters that have taken place since Biswa Sarma took office.

The NHRC in November 2021 transferred the case to the Assam Human Rights Commission (AHRC), which had also taken suo motu cognisance of the alleged fake encounters and asked for a report from the Assam government.

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