A police constable and a suspected criminal were killed in an encounter in Amroha in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday evening, Hindustan Times reported. Chief Minister Adityanath announced a compensation package for the constable’s wife and parents, but his family members have expressed dissatisfaction.
Additional Director General Anand Kumar told ANI that a police team had gone in search of the alleged criminal Shiv Avtar in Amroha’s Bachhraon area. The police search team consisted of only two constables, according to Hindustan Times.
When the police team spotted a suspect, they asked him to surrender, but the suspect opened fire and police constable Harsh Chaudhary sustained a bullet injury. Chaudhary was rushed to a hospital, but died of injuries later, Kumar said.
The criminal, Shiv Avtar, also died as police opened fire in retaliation. Kumar said Avtar was named in around 19 cases.
According to PTI, Chaudhary is the seventh police personnel to die in an encounter in the state since Adityanath took charge of the Bharatiya Janata Party government in 2017. The state recorded over 3,000 encounters between March 2017 and July 2018.
Chief Minister Adityanath announced a compensation of Rs 40 lakh to Chaudhary’s wife, Rs 10 lakh to his parents and government job to one member of Chaudhary’s family, according to ANI.
Chaudhary’s family members claimed that they were not informed about his death for a long time and questioned why only two police constables were sent to search for a repeat offender. “On what basis was it done?” ANI quoted a family member as saying. “Compensation can’t bring him back.”
The Supreme Court in January 14 issued a notice to the Adityanath government on a petition seeking a court-monitored inquiry into police encounters against alleged criminals in the state. Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said the encounters are a very serious matter and require a detailed hearing. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for February 12.
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