NHRC summons DM, SSP Allahabad in encounter case

New Delhi, Aug 29 (UNI) The National Human Rights Commission today asked the District Magistrate and the Senior Superintendent of Police, Allahabad to appear in person before it on October 24 in a case related to the killing of one Pinto Misra in September last year.

Expressing displeasure on the ''belligerent attitude of the UP authorities'', the Commission asked the DM to report to it with the magisterial enquiry report and the SSP with post-mortem and inquest report.

The Commission has also said that if the requisite reports were received by the Commission on or before October 17, the personal attendance of the two would stand dispensed with.

The Commission's latest move comes after its repeated directions to the State on the case fell on deaf ears.

The case related to the death of Pinto Mishra alias Arun Kumar, was brought to the notice of the Commission by SSP, Allahabad, Vijay Singh Meena through a fax message on September 21 last year.

The message said that while a police party was checking the vehicles on Subhash Chowk on September 18, two persons came on a motorcycle without a number plate.

When the police party intercepted the motor vehicle, the pillion rider threw a bomb resulting in the death of Head Constable, Ashok Pandey. When he tried to flee, he was chased and surrounded by the police. Finding himself trapped, he threw a bomb causing injuries to a Sub-Inspector and a Constable. The SSP's message said police fired in self defence and the miscreant was killed.

The message also said that on search - a pistol, two magazines and five live cartridges were recovered from the dead and later on he was identified as Pinto Misra. A case was registered at the Police station, Civil Lines, Allahabad regarding the incident, the fax said.

The Commission had on October 18, 2006 directed DGP, UP and SSP, Allahabad to take action and submit a report within six weeks on the incident. The requisite reports were not received.

Further, the case was taken up during a Camp of the Commission at Lucknow on January 19 this year. The SP(Human rights) appeared before it and undertook to submit the reports within four weeks.

However, the undertaking was not honoured.

Again on April 16, the Commission directed the State government to submit reports of the magisterial inquiry, postmortem and inquest within four weeks. However, this direction was also not complied with.

Today, the Commission's summons for the DM and SSP come after it recently viewed the video clippings of the same incident provided by the media.

UNI