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Ghaziabad: Court directs case against SHO after failure to produce CCTV footage in ‘encounter’ case
Police maintained that the suspects were spotted in an auto near the Richpal Garhi culvert and signalled to stop. However, they sped the auto to an open field near the water plant area and allegedly opened fire at the police.
Ghaziabad: A city court in its November 1 order directed the filing of a case against the SHO of Crossings Republik police station after the police allegedly failed to produce CCTV footage sought in connection with an encounter case involving four men on October 27.
Police said the four — identified as Irfan Ghazi (41), Mohammad Shadab (24), auto driver Aman Garg (22), and Nazim Khan (23) — were arrested on October 27 after an FIR was filed under BNS sections 318(4) cheating and 303 (theft) based on a woman’s complaint on October 26.
They maintained the suspects were spotted in an auto near the Richpal Garhi culvert and signaled to stop. However, they sped the auto to an open field near the water plant area and allegedly opened fire at the police.
During retaliatory fire, Ghazi and Shadab, both residents of Dasna, sustained gunshot wounds to their legs, while Aman and Nazim were overpowered and arrested, police said.
However, Nadeem Akhtar, counsel for the four suspects, said: “In our application before the court, we requested the court to direct police to produce CCTV footage of Crossings Republik police station from the period October 22 to October 27. It was so as policemen picked up Ghazi and Shadab from their house on October 24, and this was captured in CCTVs installed nearby. We submitted this footage before the court. The other two suspects were with the police at the police station along with the auto since October 23. On the morning of October 27, all four were taken from the police station to the open field and arrested during an encounter. Ghazi and Shadab were also shot in the leg.”
The police, in their pleas before the court, mentioned several constraints, including that a technician was not available to secure the CCTV footage; the identity of the woman complainant and informers coming to the police station will be revealed; and also that the police station has an armory where arms are kept, and such information cannot be made public.
“Today, on November 1, the SHO concerned submitted an application that, due to reasons mentioned in the application, the CCTV could not be produced. It is contradictory that the SHO earlier requested time and now submitted an application mentioning inability to produce the footage due to reasons mentioned in the application. It seems that footage is not being produced intentionally, and the court’s directions are not being complied with… So, a case is directed to be filed against the SHO, and the chief medical officer is directed to form a medical board and submit a report after detailed examination of injuries sustained during the police encounter,” the court said in its order on November 1.
Priyashri Pal, ACP of Wave City Circle, requested that an official response in the matter be taken from the DCP.
When contacted, Dhawal Jaiswal, the DCP of the city zone, said that he was aware of the entire case proceedings in the court. “We will soon be filing a suitable reply before the court in connection with the case,” the DCP added.
The court, headed by an additional civil judge, had earlier directed the SHO, Crossings Republik police station, to produce CCTV footage on October 29.
According to police, the complainant alleged that on October 23, she boarded Garg’s auto from Masuri to Vasundhara. Midway, two unidentified men boarded the same auto as passengers, stole her jewellery and fled.
Following the arrest, police maintained that the looted jewellery, illegal arms and cartridges, and the auto used during the crime were seized from the arrested suspects.
