Latehar: Wife of man killed in ‘encounter’ seeks FIR against security personnel

The widow of tribal youth Bramhadev Singh who was allegedly shot dead by security forces at Piri village in Latehar district earlier this year has approached the local district court seeking direction to police to immediately lodge an FIR under murder charges against the security forces personnel involved in the incident.

The 23-year-old Singh was killed on June 19 this year when security forces were carrying out an anti-Maoist operation in the forests of Kuku-Piri under Garu police station in the Latehar district.

In her complaint, Singh’s widow Jiramani Devi has sought a police case against eight named and dozens of unnamed security personnel, alleging that they killed her husband even after seeing Singh and his friends, who were out for hunting on the occasion of Sarhul festival, surrendering themselves while shouting that they were not Maoists.

“When the security forces opened fire, Singh and his friends left their guns and shouted that they were not Maoists. But the security forces continued to fire at them. When Brahmdev Singh’s aunt reached the spot, she saw injured Singh alive. The security forces chased her away and took Singh with them. Later, he was found dead in the jungle,” Jiramani said in her complaint.

She also alleged that Singh was wearing a different-coloured shirt when he went out and the security forces changed his clothes after his “encounter”.

Later, while the police admitted that Singh was not a Maoist, a case was filed under Arms Act against all six youths, including the deceased. The case was later transferred to the crime investigation department (CID). The Latehar district police administration has ever since maintained that any further action would be taken after the CID files its charge sheet after the completion of the probe.

On June 29, Jiramani Devi, wife of deceased Singh, had submitted a complaint with Latehar police requesting a case be filed against the security men who were involved in the killing of her husband.

On July 31, the family members led by gram pradhan of Piri village Modi Singh in association with rights activists and family members of Brahmadev Singh protested for a day outside the deputy commissioner’s office, demanding action, besides granting monetary compensation. A memorandum of the gram sabha in the name of chief minister Hemant Soren was handed over to Latehar deputy commissioner regarding the demands.

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