India court convicts Batla House encounter accused

India court convicts Batla House encounter accused

By SHAFAQUE ALAM

Conforming to the charges leveled by Delhi police on Batla House encounter, a Delhi court on Thursday convicted the lone accused, Shahzad Ahmad in the controversial 2008 encounter case which had left two youths and a police inspector dead.
Rajender Kumar Shastri, additional sessions judge convicted Ahmad for killing Delhi Police special cell Inspector M C Sharma during the encounter.

The prosecution said that Ahmad was one of the occupants of L-18 flat that was raided by police in south Delhi’s Batla House neighborhood in Jamia Nagar area on Sept. 19, 2008, six days after the serial blasts in the city.

The prosecution, in its final arguments, contended that it had “sufficient circumstantial evidence” and phone records to prove that Ahmad was present in the flat in Batla House. Ahmad, along with another accused Junaid, had jumped off the balcony and fled after firing at police, the prosecution said. Meanwhile, two youths — hailing from Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgardh district — were gunned down during the encounter.

Human rights activists defending the case have said they were disappointed over the judgement. Afroz Alam Sahil, who is in possession of several documents received through RTI in the Batla House encounter case, told Arab News that the judgment may have been delivered under some political pressure. “The police theory upon which the court agreed is doubtful. The encounter took place on the 4th floor of the building which had only one door. In 2010, after two years of the encounter, Shahzad was arrested. We wonder, if it was a genuine encounter how come that Shahzad escaped from the 4th floor and why the police officials could not arrest him then?” he asked.

Shahzad’s counsel had also claimed that he was not in the flat where the shootout took place and was picked up from somewhere else. Jamia Teachers’ Association President Manisha Sethi, who from day one, has been claiming that it was a fake encounter, said that there are legal options open for them.

The accused were said to be the Indian Mujahidin operatives who were allegedly involved in the Sept. 13, 2008 serial blasts at Karol Bagh, Connaught Place, Greater Kailash and India Gate that had left 26Conforming to the charges leveled by Delhi police on Batla House encounter, a Delhi court on Thursday convicted the lone accused, Shahzad Ahmad in the controversial 2008 encounter case which had left two youths and a police inspector dead.

Rajender Kumar Shastri, Additional Sessions Judge convicted Ahmad for killing Delhi Police special cell Inspector M C Sharma during the encounter.

The prosecution said that Ahmad was one of the occupants of L-18 flat that was raided by police in south Delhi’s Batla House neighborhood in Jamia Nagar area on Sept. 19, 2008, six days after the serial blasts in the city.

The prosecution, in its final arguments, contended that it had “sufficient circumstantial evidence” and phone records to prove that Ahmad was present in the flat in Batla House. Ahmad, along with another accused Junaid, had jumped off the balcony and fled after firing at police, the prosecution said. Meanwhile, two youths – hailing from Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgardh district – were gunned down during the encounter.

Meanwhile, human rights activists defending the case have said they were disappointed over the judgement. Afroz Alam Sahil, who is in possession of several documents received through RTI in the Batla House encounter case, told Arab News that the judgement may have been delivered under some political pressure. “The police theory upon which the court agreed is doubtful. The encounter took place on the 4th floor of the building which had only one door. In 2010, after two years of the encounter, Shahzad was arrested. We wonder, if it was a genuine encounter how come that Shahzad escaped from the 4th floor and why the police officials could not arrest him then?” he asked.

Shahzad’s counsel had also claimed that he was not in the flat where the shootout took place and was picked up from somewhere else. Jamia Teachers’ Association President Manisha Sethi, who from day one, has been claiming that it was a fake encounter, said that there are legal options open for them.

The accused were said to be the Indian Mujahidin operatives who were allegedly involved in the Sept. 13, 2008 serial blasts at Karol Bagh, Connaught Place, Greater Kailash and India Gate that had left 26 dead and 133 injured.

This article was first published on arabnews.com, July 26, 2013.