
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognizance of reports on the attack on a 25-year-old man in Noida by a sub-inspector (SI), who termed it as an encounter. Observing that police personnel in Uttar Pradesh are “misusing their power”, the Commission sent a notice to the state government.
The 25-year-old gym trainer was shot at on the night of February 3. The sub-inspector had allegedly told his colleague that the encounter would earn him an out-of-turn promotion. The gym trainer was bundled into the back seat of his Scorpio vehicle by the SI, who pulled out his service revolver and fired at his throat.
“The commission has observed that it seems that the police personnel in the state of Uttar Pradesh are feeling free misusing their power in the light of an undeclared endorsement given by the higher ups. They are using their privileges to settle scores with the people. The police force is to protect the people, these kind of incidents would send a wrong message to the society,” NHRC said in a statement.
NHRC further said that the injured man was not an offender, and he was travelling with his friends when the “rowdy act done by the delinquent SI gravely violated his Right to Life and Liberty”.
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The human rights body said, “Creating an atmosphere of fear is not the correct way to deal with a crime.”
A notice has been issued to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, Uttar Pradesh, to “look into the emerging scenario personally”, and to take appropriate action to sensitise personnel not to abuse their power to harass innocent citizens.
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