Uttar Pradesh: 18 police officials booked for alleged fake encounter after 17 years

The Shahjahanpur Police in Uttar Pradesh have registered a first information report against 18 officers from different stations over an alleged fake encounter that took place 17 years ago, reported The Indian Express on Sunday.

A former superintendent of police, additional superintendent of police, three circle officers and in-charges of 10 police stations have been accused in the case.

S Anand, the current superintendent of police, said that the case was filed on the direction of the Shahjahanpur sessions court. The investigation of the case has been transferred to the crime branch.

In October 2004, the police had allegedly shot dead two persons named Dhanpal and Prahlad, according to ANI. The police had alleged they were members of gangster Saragana Naresha Dhimar’s group.

Prahlad’s brother Ramkirti repeatedly approached the district magistrate before submitting an application to Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in 2012.

Petitioner’s lawyer Ejaz Hasan Khan said that Ramkirti, in his application to the court had said that police had shot at Dhanpal and Prahlad when they were working in the field.

“After that, the police hung a gun on their shoulders and tied a box of cartridges around his [Prahlad’s] waist,” Khan said. “RK Singh, Sushil Kumar Singh were among the police officials named in the case.”

Khan claimed that the officers have been booked for murder.

The police said that an investigation on record was conducted in 2014 by the district police and the Crime Investigation Department, which cleared the accused officials of charges.

The Shahjahanpur court had accepted the closure report filed in the case.

Station House Officer Jai Shankar Singh said that the police officials were also cleared of charges in the magisterial inquiry.

Singh added that almost all the police officers named in the case have retired.