NHRC writes to Kuldeep

SURAT, Oct 28: The National Human Rights Commission, in a letter written to City Police Commissioner Kuldeep Sharma, has demanded a writt...

SURAT, Oct 28: The National Human Rights Commission, in a letter written to City Police Commissioner Kuldeep Sharma, has demanded a written explanation about the death of dreaded gangster Asif Amdawadi in a police encounter despite his family8217;s earlier apprehensions for his life. Sharma is expected to reply within a fortnight.

Amdawadi8217;s mother had telegrammed the NHRC before September 15 8212; the night he was killed 8212; that she feared her son, a murder accused, could be eliminated by the police.

The gangster jumped parole on March 3 this year and had been absconding till the Surat Detection of Crime Bureau picked him up from a train on September 9 at the Surat railway station. The next day, the DCB produced him before a magistrate and acquired a 10-day remand.

On September 11, Amdawadi8217;s mother Hazira Bibi filed a court complaint through advocate Ramesh Kapadia, stating that she feared her son would be killed in a police encounter. In response, the court directed the police to present the gangster alive in court.

The police response to that, however, was that Amdawadi had jumped custody and was absconding. On the night of September 15, he was shot dead. The police claimed that he had first fired at the police.

8220;My client had apprehended that Asif would be killed in a police encounter, and that is exactly what happened8221;, Kapadia told Express Newsline. 8220;Luckily, we had telegrammed copies of the complaint to the NHRC, the prime minister, the Union home minister, the chief minister, the State home minister, the DGP and the police commissioner.8221;

Kapadia said he would soon file another complaint on behalf of his client against eight personnel of the city police force, including Sharma and DCB PI M G Kaneriya. 8220;The complaint, which will be sent to the NHRC, will point out that all of Hazira Bibi8217;s fears were justified and that Amdawadi was brutally gunned down8221;, Kapadia said.

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While Hazira Bibi would not talk to the press, Nehazabeen, the gangster8217;s sister, said that though the NHRC order was a positive step, the family still had not received justice. 8220;We know where Asif was actually hidden away while the police were announcing that he had escaped. In fact, we had started preparing for the last rites as soon as he was nabbed. They systematically murdered him,8221; she alleged. quot;We still haven8217;t received his post-mortem papers.quot;