Civil society groups demand HC, SHRC intervention on encounter deaths in Tami Nadu

CHENNAI: Civil society groups have condemned the Greater Chennai Police and Tamil Nadu Police for being trigger-happy in the wake of Wednesday's encounter by the city police in which a suspect in a serial chain-snatching case was shot dead. It was the fourth such incident in eight months in Chennai.

In a statement, the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) condemned the rising 'fake' encounters by the Tamil Nadu Police. Early Wednesday morning, Inspector Mohammed Bukhari opened fire, leading to the death of Jaffer Irani after he allegedly opened fire from the country-made pistol hidden in the two-wheeler used in the chain snatching when police took him to Taramani to recover the bike used in the crime.

Jaffer and his associate Mesham Irani were apprehended dramatically from the city airport within hours of them robbing six women across the city.

"This is the standard narrative- 'We fired in self-defense'. When the accused suffered broken legs, the police claim 'they slipped in the bathroom.' These explanations are utterly unreliable! The brutal practice of breaking limbs has become an unwritten law which is deeply concerning," PUCL said in a statement.

Pointing out that there has been judicial criticism about the trigger-happy nature of the police, the PUCL cited a Supreme Court observation which clarified that police cannot justify killings under self-defence arbitrarily and demanded that the Madras High Court take suo motu cognizance of the trend and order an impartial probe and also appealed for an independent enquiry by the State Human Rights Commission.

Human Rights NGO, People's Watch, in a statement, said that 19 persons have been shot dead across the state in 16 incidents in the last four years and appealed to the Chief Minister to intervene and address the growing trend of excess by the state police in the name of maintaining law and order.