Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Jul 8: The magisterial inquiries ordered into the encounter deaths of rowdies, Shaji alias David in 2006, and Abdul Sardar alias Babu in 2009, have been completed and the inquiry reports have been submitted to the district magistrate. Mangalore sub-divisional commissioner, Prabhulinga Kavalikatti, who was entrusted with the task of conducting magisterial inquiries, has found that in both the cases, the policemen had no other alternative left but to fire at the men, and that excessive force had not been used in these two encounter deaths.

After People’s; Union for Civil Liberties complained to Dakshina Kannada district deputy commissioner that the above two encounters were fake, he had ordered for the magisterial inquiry. While report on Shaji’s encounter had been submitted a few months ago, the report on Sardar was submitted in the last week of June this year. The inquiry centred around two questions, ie, whether firing was unavoidable, and whether excessive police force had been used.

In the case of Shaji encounter, 38 witnesses were examined in seven sittings, while 33 witnesses appeared for magisterial inquiry in the other case.