The Uttar Pradesh police, which is often under fire over the killing of several alleged criminals in "encounters", has issued new guidelines for gunfights with miscreants. The move is aimed at enhancing transparency and accountability of the police action.
Under the new guidelines, videography of the site of the shoot-out has been mandated in cases where an accused is killed or injured, the state’s Director General of Police, Prashant Kumar said.
The guidelines also mandate the ballistic examination of the weapons used by both sides as well as testing of handwash samples of the alleged criminals (to ensure they discharged firearms), he added.
The new rules were contained in a 16-point circular issued by Kumar on October 11. As per the UP police circular, forensic experts would investigate the encounter site and the probe would be conducted not by the local police station involved in the incident but by another police station or the Crime Branch. The new rules also mandate that the post-mortem of the alleged criminal killed in police encounters will be videographed, with a team of at least two doctors present during the process.
The guidelines referenced the Supreme Court’s directives issued in connection with the petition filed by the People’s Union For Civil Liberties (PUCL) seeking to ensure certain standards and norms in case of police encounters.
Kumar has also asked for the speedy disposal of encounter cases pending before the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) with relevant records related to cases submitted on time. He sought an Assistant Superintendent of Police to be designated the nodal officer to ensure the timely disposal of these cases.
The new amendments came against the backdrop of criticism after the shoot-out on September 5, in which a Jaunpur resident Mangesh Yadav was shot dead. Yadav was believed to be involved in a robbery in a jewellery store in Sultanpur.