Rights bodies allege State using shootouts to scotch dissent

New Delhi, June 6 (UNI) Condemning the growing number of fake encounters in the recent times, Rights bodies have alleged that shootouts were the State's ''only response to political dissent.'' ''Fake encounters are the State's only response to political dissent which amounts to encountering the justice as well,'' alleged People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and 'Janhastakshep'.

The leading human rights bodies said encounter killings began with the rise of naxalism and liberation struggles in 1970s in various parts of the country.

The police apparatus in order to quell the dissent resorted to killings of political activists branding them as Maoists, insurgents, separatist Khalistanis, extremists and now as terrorists in gross violation of the law and fundmanetal rights as guaranteed in the Constitution, alleged Guatam Naulakha speaking at a seminar on 'Fake Encounters-Encountering Justice' jointly organised by PUCL and Janhastakshep here last evening.

In fact, he said, ''the state is virtually waging a war and promulgating draconian laws like AFSPA, CSPSA, Disturbed Area Act, National Security Act and MCOCA in the name of maintaining law and order.'' Fake encounters, which run into thousands in the past three decades, has come as a handy tool for the security forces to scotch political dissent, Mr Naulakha said.

''Now some other dimensions have been added to extra-constitutional killings as these also entail vested interests of perpetrators like cornering the awards officially proclaimed on the head of wanted persons, securing promotions by officials and even getting 'supari' (contract) for elimination,'' he alleged.

Former MP Surendra Mohan said unfortunately all these illegal killings enjoyed ''direct or indirect sanction from the Home Ministry and rarely any police officer had been convicted for such gross violation''.

''On the other hand, such tactics found ready support among the middle class, in the name of maintaining peace and order,'' Mr Surendra Mohan said.

People being unaware of the growing ''diabolic practice'', invariably get convinced by shallow evidences of ''stage-managed encounters'' given by the security forces like recovery of RDX, weapons and other material. ''RDX is freely available in the country and there is hardly any difficulty in procuring the weapons and other required material,'' he added.

Senior Supreme Court counsel Nandita Haksar painted a gory picture of violation of human rights by the security forces in North East during the past four decades. ''Even Burmese activists fighting against Military Junta there, were targeted and some of them have been rottening in Indian Jails for years now,'' she claimed.

Eminent human rights activists N D Pancholi said the recently exposed Gujarat's fake encounters, arrest of Dr Binayak Sen for allegedly supporting naxals and campaigns like Salwa Judum in Chhattisgarh and 'Ikhwan' in Jammu and Kashmir were part of the state's mechanism of denying justice to the victims of repression, economic exploitation and inhuman working conditions.

A resolution adopted at the seminar sought withdrawal of ''black laws'' and immediate release of Dr Sen and other political detenues.

The resolution also expressed concern over the judiciary ''unquestioningly'' accepting the security forces version and ''ignoring proofs'' in alleged encounter killing of one Ghulam Mohiuddin branding him as ''militant'' and said there existed not a scrap of evidence to prove such a serious allegation.

UNI