‘No gallantry recommendation for tainted cops’

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: No police officer should be recommended for a gallantry medal (if he is part of an encounter team) unless the gallantry of the officer is proved clean and fair beyond doubts, a recent circular by the city police says.

The circular also stated that officers who are part of an encounter team must inform the nearest police station when there is a “police action” (encounter). The revised guidelines were issued in a Mumbai police bulletin, which is sent to all the police stations and the specialized units on a daily basis. “In case, a person is injured in exchange of fire, he should immediately be rushed to the nearest hospital,” the circular stated. In the later paragraph, it talks about informing the relatives of the victim. The policemen have been asked to inform the victim’s relatives at the earliest in such cases. A gallantry medal is given for an officer’s bravery, courage and heroism.

Usually, policemen take more than three to four hours to inform relatives of an encounter victim in the city. As per the circular, the senior superintendent of police (SSP) or SP (or a deputy commissioner of police) should ask for a magisterial inquiry into the police action. “A magisterial inquiry be conducted in all such cases and the report should be sent through the SP to the higher ups. Moreover, a state CID inquiry should also be conducted in these cases,” the circular stated, providing the format and guidelines on how to conduct a search and probe in such a case.

While there have been several allegations of “encounter killings” or staged encounters, there was not a single encounter in 2011. This was perhaps for the first time in 20 years (since 1990) that the city witnessed an encounter-free year. In the last two decades, more than 500 alleged hardened criminals, gangsters or terrorists were shot down by the police. There were instances when eyebrows were raised on various encounters. Several police personnel in the city faced action for “staged or fake encounters.”

The Times of India, March 27, 2012