BHUBANESWAR: The death of gangster Sheikh Hyder in police firing in Balasore on Saturday has triggered a debate whether the encounter was real or stage-managed.
Many people, including retired police officers and senior lawyers, are not ready to buy the story of the commissionerate police that they gunned down Hyder (60) when he was trying to flee from their custody in Simulia area of Balasore district around 3.20 pm on Saturday.
Hyder was being shifted from Choudwar jail in Cuttack to Baripada jail in Mayurbhanj district. As told by police commissioner Saumendra Priyadarshi, about 10 armed police personnel of the commissionerate police were escorting Hyder to Baripada jail when he allegedly tried to snatch a policeman’s firearm, prompting the police to fire on him.
“There is suspicion in people’s mind over the circumstances that led to the encounter. It is hard to believe that 10 policemen failed to overpower a 60-year-old person who should have been hand-cuffed as he was a dreaded convict and had escaped from SCB Medical College in Cuttack in April during treatment. A thorough inquiry by an independent agency, ideally by a high court judge, should be conducted to ensure transparency,” former director general of police Sanjeev Marik said.
Gopal Nanda, another retired DGP, said Balasore police should find out the circumstances leading to the encounter. “Balasore police must have registered a case relating to the encounter in their jurisdiction. Truth will emerge when the senior supervising officers, including Balasore SP and eastern range DIG, conduct a thorough inquiry,” Nanda said.
Many people took to social media and termed the encounter as an extra-judicial killing. “The alleged encounter needs an investigation to arrive at the truth,” environmentalist Biswajit Mohanty tweeted.
