HYDERABAD: The Three Member National Human Rights Commission probing the encounter killings in Andhra Pradesh, heard another case of “encounter death” of an extremist belonging to the Chandra Pulla Reddy group of the CPIML.

While the family of the deceased Chinnarao Sangaiah, appearing as witnesses for the Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee (APCLO), told the Commission that he was killed by the police after being arrested from a field near the Kolcharam village in Medak district on May 25, 1993, the police maintained that he was killed in an encounter in a forest area in the wee hours of May 27.

The officer told the Commission that he, along with other policemen, rushed to the spot on a tipoff about the presence of a seven member Naxalites dalam there. On reaching the area, the raiding party came under heavy fire. One person was killed and others escaped in the ensuing encounter, the official said.

During the cross-examination by APCLE counsel Desrath Kumar, the officer, however, was unable to give a convincing reply as to why he did not register a separate Case of “murder” in the encounter. The Commission was also surprised that one of the officers of the raiding party was asked to investigate the case.

Besides, Chinnarao’s widow had her own eyewitness account. She said that her husband was hiding in a nearby field and sent a message to her to come and meet him. She said as they were talking, four policemen surrounded them and arrested her husband and took him to the adjoining field.

She also disclosed that the police had threatened her not to depose before the Commission.

The APCRC counsel claimed that Chinnarao was killed after his arrest. When the police officer said he had the statement of three surrendered Naxalites to the effect that they were among those involved in that particular encounter, counsel said that those persons were not Naxalites.

The AP police had several other embarrassing moments on the first day of the hearing.

The Commission, headed by Justice Ranganath Misra, began its weeklong hearing with the case of J.K. Lingayyah killed by the police in an alleged encounter in Shabpally village under the Ettunagram mandal of Warangal district in May 1993. While the police claimed that he was killed in self-defense, the APCRC said he was killed two days after his arrest.

Five witnesses, including the mother, father, widow and aunt of the victim, appeared before the Commission and two police officials deposed. The relatives recalled how Lingayya was arrested from his house and how they were later informed about his death. They also said that police officials threatened them not to give any statement against them. Lingayya’s widow said that a police officer had told her that she would get Rs 1 lakh if she did not give any statement against them.

At the beginning of the hearing, police counsel Sit apathy demanded that the hearing be in camera. But his request was turned down. However, the Commission asked the media not to mention the names of the witnesses.

Two police officers had many anxious moments. One of them said that Circle Inspector and Kumar had ordered him to lead a raiding party and arrest Lingayya from his forest hideout. But he admitted that he did not mention the name of the official in the case diary. He also added that when the police party was 50 yards from the Naxalites, it came under fire and fired five rounds in self-defense. Replying to Commission member Justice Mall Math, the officer said he could not identify the person holding the weapon. The police, he said, were instructed to shoot him in self-defense.

Article extracted from this publication >>  September 15, 1995