Country’s law goes backstage as sharp-shooters decide who is to be killed
The term jallad is synonymous with ruthlessness, barbarity and death. During medieval times, the jallads were associated with the King’s durbars; their chief role being to send a prisoner sentenced to death to the gallows.
Even now, in various prisons across the country, it is the jallads who execute the prisoners convicted to death by the courts. In the recent past, these jallads have been brought to notice courtesy the media and stories related to the humane and no so humane side of their lives have been aired and published. Debate is also raging whether such men are a boon or bane for the society.
The new age jallads are different. They are the group of policemen for whom it does not matter whether the criminal has been tried in the courts or convicted of crime. They are a law unto themselves, a law outside of the existing law that governs the country, and seldom abide by the rules and regulations that the Police Department has framed for them. They are the encounter specialists, a term much hyped by the media, courtesy Daya Nayak, the man famed for killing in encounter 83 people in four years outside the framework of country’s law. Wonder why our esteemed judiciary is silent on this account!
Not that these encounter specialists are not to be found in UP. Only recently, the alleged encounter of Atru has much defamed the image of the UP Police when a woman named Gita from Mohammadabad (Farrukhabad) claimed that the person killed in the encounter was not Atru but her brother Kailash alias Attar Singh. This is another matter that police continue to stick to the stand that it was Atru, hobnobbing with them for past 10 years, who had been killed. If the man killed by the police in encounter was indeed Kailash, then who is to be blamed for killing of the innocent truck driver whose death orphaned three children, Muskan (6), Vishal (4) and Vikas (2).
Today, UP Police Headquarters too has certain people demarked as ‘encounter specialists’. Even those who do not carry this tag know that encounters, particularly when the elections are round the corner, would ensure them a raise in position and salary. Fake killing of Kailash is a result of this itself.
What is most worrying is the fact that these ‘encounter specialists’ have now been given a sanction by the people. This clearly suggests people’s dying faith in the systems of the country, including judiciary. Other than certain human rights activists who loathe these policemen, the public as well as the police have more or less given sanction to these ‘specialists’. What used to be called fake encounters till some time back are now ‘encounters’ with the policemen even claiming gallantry awards for doing so.
Debate is raging whether this unique, unofficial policing ‘institution’ needs to be checked. Allegations have been made that these policemen are a law unto themselves hobnobbing with criminals themselves. A local Mumbai journalist recently alleged that Daya Nayak, the most well-known of the encounter specialists, was in the pay of city’s mafia bosses. He cited the illegitimate assets of the SI, drawing not more than 9000 rupees a month, to strengthen his case. Police Commissioner AN Roy was forced to issue a personal report vouching for his man’s honesty.
To an extent these policemen are doing a good job, particularly in Mumbai where the crack team of five policemen has broken the back of the city’s once notorious crime syndicates. But that they have done so at a terrible cost necessitates that such killings should be checked. More than 600 suspected criminals are alleged to have been shot in cold blood, if the human rights groups are to be believed, without allowing them to seek justice from the country’s law.
Daya Nayak is not the only policeman who is involved in encounter killing. Pradeep Sharma claims a total of over 100 “successful” encounters with suspected criminals. Another specialist Vijay Salaskar has more than 30 encounter deaths to his credit.
Daya Nayak and Pradeep Sharma, both defend themselves by saying that they killed the other person when they fired towards them. If that is so, why are they called ‘encounter specialists’? Moreover, why is it that all the rest of the country’s policemen do not ‘encounter’ criminals when they go on performing their duty.
Fact is that encounter or extra judicial killings are not new phenomena for Indian state, though it has changed its position or acceptability in the public psyche for past few years. This is courtesy the Mumbai film industry for making several films ‘inspired’ by the real life of an encounter specialist. After the box office success of such films, one can say that the act of extra judicial killing, which otherwise is a gross violation of the Judicial system, the very aspect of our Constitution (by denying the fundamental right to live), the civil liberties and the human rights, has now got legitimacy in the Indian society.
That is why until people like Kailash continue to be killed in such encounters, the work of these modern day ‘jallads’ will continue to raise eyebrows.
Even now, in various prisons across the country, it is the jallads who execute the prisoners convicted to death by the courts. In the recent past, these jallads have been brought to notice courtesy the media and stories related to the humane and no so humane side of their lives have been aired and published. Debate is also raging whether such men are a boon or bane for the society.
The new age jallads are different. They are the group of policemen for whom it does not matter whether the criminal has been tried in the courts or convicted of crime. They are a law unto themselves, a law outside of the existing law that governs the country, and seldom abide by the rules and regulations that the Police Department has framed for them. They are the encounter specialists, a term much hyped by the media, courtesy Daya Nayak, the man famed for killing in encounter 83 people in four years outside the framework of country’s law. Wonder why our esteemed judiciary is silent on this account!
Not that these encounter specialists are not to be found in UP. Only recently, the alleged encounter of Atru has much defamed the image of the UP Police when a woman named Gita from Mohammadabad (Farrukhabad) claimed that the person killed in the encounter was not Atru but her brother Kailash alias Attar Singh. This is another matter that police continue to stick to the stand that it was Atru, hobnobbing with them for past 10 years, who had been killed. If the man killed by the police in encounter was indeed Kailash, then who is to be blamed for killing of the innocent truck driver whose death orphaned three children, Muskan (6), Vishal (4) and Vikas (2).
Today, UP Police Headquarters too has certain people demarked as ‘encounter specialists’. Even those who do not carry this tag know that encounters, particularly when the elections are round the corner, would ensure them a raise in position and salary. Fake killing of Kailash is a result of this itself.
What is most worrying is the fact that these ‘encounter specialists’ have now been given a sanction by the people. This clearly suggests people’s dying faith in the systems of the country, including judiciary. Other than certain human rights activists who loathe these policemen, the public as well as the police have more or less given sanction to these ‘specialists’. What used to be called fake encounters till some time back are now ‘encounters’ with the policemen even claiming gallantry awards for doing so.
Debate is raging whether this unique, unofficial policing ‘institution’ needs to be checked. Allegations have been made that these policemen are a law unto themselves hobnobbing with criminals themselves. A local Mumbai journalist recently alleged that Daya Nayak, the most well-known of the encounter specialists, was in the pay of city’s mafia bosses. He cited the illegitimate assets of the SI, drawing not more than 9000 rupees a month, to strengthen his case. Police Commissioner AN Roy was forced to issue a personal report vouching for his man’s honesty.
To an extent these policemen are doing a good job, particularly in Mumbai where the crack team of five policemen has broken the back of the city’s once notorious crime syndicates. But that they have done so at a terrible cost necessitates that such killings should be checked. More than 600 suspected criminals are alleged to have been shot in cold blood, if the human rights groups are to be believed, without allowing them to seek justice from the country’s law.
Daya Nayak is not the only policeman who is involved in encounter killing. Pradeep Sharma claims a total of over 100 “successful” encounters with suspected criminals. Another specialist Vijay Salaskar has more than 30 encounter deaths to his credit.
Daya Nayak and Pradeep Sharma, both defend themselves by saying that they killed the other person when they fired towards them. If that is so, why are they called ‘encounter specialists’? Moreover, why is it that all the rest of the country’s policemen do not ‘encounter’ criminals when they go on performing their duty.
Fact is that encounter or extra judicial killings are not new phenomena for Indian state, though it has changed its position or acceptability in the public psyche for past few years. This is courtesy the Mumbai film industry for making several films ‘inspired’ by the real life of an encounter specialist. After the box office success of such films, one can say that the act of extra judicial killing, which otherwise is a gross violation of the Judicial system, the very aspect of our Constitution (by denying the fundamental right to live), the civil liberties and the human rights, has now got legitimacy in the Indian society.
That is why until people like Kailash continue to be killed in such encounters, the work of these modern day ‘jallads’ will continue to raise eyebrows.
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