CBI probe likely into Ranbir encounter case

Dehradun: Amid an uproar over the gunning down of an MBA graduate by Uttarakhand police in an alleged fake encounter, Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank is likely to recommend a CBI probe into the killing.

The announcement of a CBI probe into the killing of 22-year-old Ranbir Singh from Ghaziabad in an encounter with police in Dehradun on Friday may come in a day or two from the Chief Minister, who had earlier handed over the case to CB-CID, official sources said on Monday.

Besides the main opposition Congress, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), the ruling BJP leaders and human rights activists have supported the demand of Singh's family for a CBI probe into the killing after the autopsy report revealed that he was shot from close range and injury marks showed that he may have been tortured.

BJP president Rajnath Singh, who is also an MP from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, is understood to have spoken to Nishank over telephone over the issue and asked him to sympathetically consider the demand for a CBI probe.

Facing mounting pressure from various quarters, Nishank on Sunday night held a high-level meeting with top administrative and police officials over the issue and later announced the removal of Dehradun SSP Amit Sinha from the post. Seven policemen including, Sub-Inspector G D Bhatt, involved in the encounter, have been sent to police lines.

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RLD Chief Ajit Singh had demanded a probe by central agency into the incident claiming that policemen "misused their power by killing an innocent youth".