Case Against Cops After Suspect Shot Dead In Police Encounter In Haryana

A sub-inspector and his team were booked on Tuesday after the family of a man, killed in a police encounter, accused them of murder, officials said.

This comes three days after the encounter and a day after a panchayat was held at Pakhal village demanding the registration of a murder case against the cops, and met a Union minister and a senior Congress leader in the matter.

An FIR has been registered against Sub-Inspector Rakesh Kumar, head of Sector 48 crime unit, and his team under sections 302 (murder) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC at Dhauj police station, said Sube Singh, spokesperson of Faridabad Police.

According to police, the deceased, Balraj alias Balwinder alias Ballu of Pavata Mahabatabad village is a criminal wanted by police in multiple cases of robbery. He was shot dead in a brief police encounter on Saturday while two of his associates were arrested after the incident.

On Monday morning, villagers from Mahabatabad village held a panchayat at nearby Pakhal village and demanded that a murder case be lodged against the cops.

A 35-member committee was formed at the panchayat and senior Congress leader Vijay Pratap Singh spoke to Police Commissioner Rakesh Kumar Arya over phone, demanding that a case of murder be registered against the policemen.

After this, villagers met Union Minister of State Krishnapal Gurjar at his residence in Delhi late in the evening on Monday who assured them that no injustice will be done. A judicial inquiry by Judicial Magistrate Naurang Sharma has been ordered into the matter but the family demanded an FIR before post-mortem. On Tuesday, the FIR was registered.

According to police, the Crime Branch of Sector 48 received information late on Saturday night that Balraj and his two associates were going to commit a crime, police said.

A crime branch team chased the car-borne trio and asked them to stop, they said. "When they asked the three to stop, they opened fire at the Crime Branch team and a bullet hit a police vehicle. Balraj was shot in retaliatory firing by police and his associates were nabbed.

"Balraj was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared him brought dead," a senior police officer said.

After the incident, Balraj's family members and people from his village started gathering at Badshah Khan Hospital alleging that he was murdered.

Balraj was wanted in four cases of robbery and snatching. He got married eight years ago and is survived by three children, among other family members.

His accomplices are identified as Anup alias Chaliya, resident of Dabua colony and Arvind, resident of Rajiv colony, Faridabad. Anup alias Chaliya was lodged in jail for the murder of one Naresh Bhakri and he had come out of jail on bail recently.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)