National
Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has asked for reports regarding encounter
between security forces and Maoists on November 14 in Bhaliaguda
Ganjam-Gajapati district border of Odisha.
Five killed
Five persons had were killed in the encounter. Manoj Jena,
chairperson of an NGO named Human Rights Front (HRF) of Bhubaneswar had lodged
a complaint regarding the encounter before the NHRC on November 15.
Mr Jena had also forwarded a copy of fact finding report by
members of Odisha Sarvodaya Samaj (OSS) regarding the encounter. The OSS fact
finding team had requested investigation of the matter by either the judiciary
or the NHRC.
The NHRC has sent copies of the compliant from HRF along with
the enclosures to the to the Director General of Police (DGP),
Inquiry
The NHRC has directed that the magisterial inquiry report,
post-mortem report along with report of independent investigation had to be
submitted to the Commission within eight weeks.
A copy of the complaint along with its enclosures was also sent
to the Chief Secretary of Odisha government for taking appropriate action in
reference to the grievances of the villagers raised in the fact finding report
of the OSS.
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr Jena said he hoped intervention of the
NHRC would reveal the truth behind the encounter in Bhaliaguda jungle.
Demonstration
Meanwhile social and human rights activists were planning for a
demonstration before Raj Bhavan in Bhubaneswar on Nov 30 to press upon for a
proper independent enquiry into the Bhaliaguda encounter.
The NHRC
has sent copies of the compliant from HRF along with the enclosures to the to
the Director General of Police
Probe Gajapati Maoists
killing, report in 8 weeks: NHRC to DGP
The National Human Rights Commission
directed the State Director General of Police (DGP) to take steps to undertake
an independent investigation into the killing of five Maoists in a police
encounter at Valiaguda in Gajapati district as per the NHRC guidelines and send
the action taken report within eight weeks.
The Magisterial inquiry report, post-mortem report,
along with report of independent investigation should be submitted to the
commission within eight weeks, told a communiqué of the NHRC to the DGP taking
cognizance of a complaint by NGO Human Rights Front, Bhubaneswar.
The complainant Manoj Jena, who is the chairman of
the NGO, had drawn the attention of the NHRC to the death of the five ultras in
a fake encounter with police in Gajapati district on November 14 last. He had
also forwarded a copy of the fact finding report by the Odisha Sarvodaya Samaj,
which had urged for a judiciary probe or by the NHRC.
Meanwhile, the commission received intimation from
the State Government regarding the encounter death. The NHRC, pursuing the
complaint on November 22 last, had also sent the copy of the complaint along
with its enclosures to the District Magistrate and the Superintendent of Police
of Gajapati to take appropriate action. According to the NHRC sources, the copy
of the complaint along with its enclosures has also been sent to the State
Chief Secretary for taking appropriate action in reference to the grievances of
the villagers raised in the fact finding report of the Odisha Sarvodaya Samaj.
