Encounter killings
Encyclopedia
An encounter is a euphemism
used in South Asia
to describe extrajudicial killings in which police
or armed forces
shoot down suspected gangster
s and terrorists in gun battles.
A fake encounter or a "staged encounter" happens when the police or armed forces kill the suspects in custody or when the suspects are unarmed, and then claim that the victims were killed in a encounter when the police had to shoot in self-defence. In such cases, the weapon
s may be planted on or near the dead body to provide a justification for killing the individual. To explain for the discrepancy between records that show that the individual was in police custody at the time of his "encounter", the police may state that the suspect had escaped. Such killings are not authorized by a court or by the law.
In the 1990s and the mid-2000s, the Mumbai Police
in India used the encounter killing to cripple the underworld in the city and bust the rampant extortion
racket. The police officers, who came to be known as "Encounter Specialists", believed that these killings delivered speedy justice
, but were criticized by the human rights activists.
, Chennai
, Kolkata
have a very high rate when it comes to encounter killings. Some of them have been quite controversial because of the allegations that they were fake encounters.
, India, from the 1990s through the mid 2000s and some of the police officers involved came to be known as "Encounter Specialists". The Mumbai police resorted to encounter killings as they believed that these killings delivered speedy justice
. Encounter killings severely crippled the Underworld in Mumbai and busted the extortion
racket which was rampant at that time. Human rights activists consider these encounter killings, together with torture by police in lock-ups and custodial deaths to be "gross human rights violations".
Though highly controversial from an official point of view, little action taken against such activities by the police. This is attributed to the common understanding that "staged encounters" are primarily carried out by police to kill persons suspected of being dangerous criminals whom the Indian Police Service
have been unable to prosecute legally (due to lack of evidence or powerful political connections).
On January 11, 1982, gangster Manya Surve
was shot dead by police officers Raja Tambat and Isaque Bagwan at the Wadala area, in what turned out to be the city's first encounter killing.
Former Police Inspector Pradeep Sharma
who has killed 113 alleged gangsters and dacoits once said, "Criminals are filth and I'm the cleaner". He was fired in August 2008 for extortion of money from the underworld but was cleared of all charges and reinstated in May 2009.
Some of the well-known encounter specialists (with encounter killing count) of Mumbai Police include:
between 1984 and 1995. During this time, Punjab police
officials would often report “encounters” to local newspapers and to the family members of those killed. The victim was typically a person the police deemed to be a militant
or involved in the militant separatist movement, though proof of alleged militant involvement was rarely given. Such encounters have also been referred to as “staged encounters” or “fake encounters,” as these deaths were often believed to be the result of torture or outright execution. Ultimately, the practice became so common that “encounter” became synonymous with extrajudicial execution.
The Punjab police
specifically targeted the families of suspected militants in encounter killings to punish them.
It is alleged that police typically take a suspected militant into custody without filing an arrest report. If the suspect died during interrogation, security forces would deny ever taking the person into custody and instead claim that they were killed during an armed encounter. It is alleged that police would add weapons to the dead body to demonstrate cause for killing the individual, stage-managing the encounter, leading to the popular phrase “fake encounter killing.” They would also concoct a story about militants staging an attack or the suspect attempting to escape while being escorted to recover militant arms. At times, the Punjab police applied for and received production warrants that allowed them to remove individuals accused in terrorism
cases from jail; whereupon they often killed the detainees in fake encounters. Sukhwinder Singh Bhatti
, a criminal defense attorney in Punjab who defended such suspects, himself disappeared in May 1994.
in Gujarat, there were several police encounter deaths in Gujarat. Some of these were attributed to attempts to kill the state's chief minister Narendra Modi
in retaliation for the alleged involvement of the state machinery in the riots.
Judicial investigations by the Indian authorities found two of these counters, both led by DIG
DG Vanjara of Ahmedabad Police
, to be fake:
, the notorious forest brigand, was reportedly killed by the Special Task Force (STF) in an encounter on 18 October 2004. Some human rights outfits claimed that the circumstantial evidence indicated that he was killed in a fake encoutner after being tortured by the police.
In 19 September 2008, Delhi-police insepector Mohan Chand Sharma
was killed in the Batla House encounter case
in New Delhi. The encounter led to the arrest of two suspected Indian Mujahideen (IM) terrorists, while a third managed to escape. The Shahi Imam
of the Jama Masjid
termed the encounter as "totally fake", and accused the Government of harassing Muslims. Several political parties and activists demanded a probe into the allegations that the encounter was fake. After an investigation, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) cleared the police of any violations of rights.
have depicting police encounters. These include:
Vikram Chandra's novel Sacred Games is based on the police force in Mumbai and provides a riveting account of police encounters.
Euphemism
A euphemism is the substitution of a mild, inoffensive, relatively uncontroversial phrase for another more frank expression that might offend or otherwise suggest something unpleasant to the audience...
used in South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
to describe extrajudicial killings in which police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
or armed forces
Armed forces
The armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external aggressors. In some countries paramilitary...
shoot down suspected gangster
Gangster
A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Some gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from mob and the suffix -ster....
s and terrorists in gun battles.
A fake encounter or a "staged encounter" happens when the police or armed forces kill the suspects in custody or when the suspects are unarmed, and then claim that the victims were killed in a encounter when the police had to shoot in self-defence. In such cases, the weapon
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
s may be planted on or near the dead body to provide a justification for killing the individual. To explain for the discrepancy between records that show that the individual was in police custody at the time of his "encounter", the police may state that the suspect had escaped. Such killings are not authorized by a court or by the law.
In the 1990s and the mid-2000s, the Mumbai Police
Mumbai Police
The Mumbai Police is the police force of the city of Mumbai, India. It has the primary responsibilities of law enforcement and investigation within the limits of Mumbai. The department's motto is ""...
in India used the encounter killing to cripple the underworld in the city and bust the rampant extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
racket. The police officers, who came to be known as "Encounter Specialists", believed that these killings delivered speedy justice
Justice
Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair.-Concept of justice:...
, but were criticized by the human rights activists.
In India
The police in Indian cities such as MumbaiMumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
have a very high rate when it comes to encounter killings. Some of them have been quite controversial because of the allegations that they were fake encounters.
Mumbai
Police encounter killings were common in MumbaiMumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, India, from the 1990s through the mid 2000s and some of the police officers involved came to be known as "Encounter Specialists". The Mumbai police resorted to encounter killings as they believed that these killings delivered speedy justice
Justice
Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair.-Concept of justice:...
. Encounter killings severely crippled the Underworld in Mumbai and busted the extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
racket which was rampant at that time. Human rights activists consider these encounter killings, together with torture by police in lock-ups and custodial deaths to be "gross human rights violations".
Though highly controversial from an official point of view, little action taken against such activities by the police. This is attributed to the common understanding that "staged encounters" are primarily carried out by police to kill persons suspected of being dangerous criminals whom the Indian Police Service
Indian Police Service
The Indian Police Service , simply known as Indian Police or IPS, is one of the three All India Services of the Government of India...
have been unable to prosecute legally (due to lack of evidence or powerful political connections).
On January 11, 1982, gangster Manya Surve
Manya Surve
Manohar Arjun Surve , better known as Manya Surve, was an infamous Indian urban dacoit and gangster in the Bombay underworld. His death in 1982 during an encounter with the Bombay police became known as the city's first recorded encounter killing...
was shot dead by police officers Raja Tambat and Isaque Bagwan at the Wadala area, in what turned out to be the city's first encounter killing.
Former Police Inspector Pradeep Sharma
Pradeep Sharma
Pradeep Sharma is a serving officer in the police force of Mumbai, India. Sharma attained notability as an "encounter specialist" with the Mumbai Encounter Squad and was involved with the deaths of as many as 112 criminals...
who has killed 113 alleged gangsters and dacoits once said, "Criminals are filth and I'm the cleaner". He was fired in August 2008 for extortion of money from the underworld but was cleared of all charges and reinstated in May 2009.
Some of the well-known encounter specialists (with encounter killing count) of Mumbai Police include:
- Police Inspector Pradeep Sharma: 104
- Sub-InspectorSub-inspectorSub-inspector is a rank used extensively in the Indian Police, Pakistani Police and Sri Lankan Police, which is primarily based on the British model. It was formerly used in most British colonial police forces and in certain British police forces as well...
Daya NayakDaya NayakDaya Nayak is a sub-inspector with the Mumbai police force. He is currently awaiting reinstation following a suspension order based on allegations of disproportionate income by an underworld criminal...
: 82 - InspectorInspectorInspector is both a police rank and an administrative position, both used in a number of contexts. However, it is not an equivalent rank in each police force.- Australia :...
Praful Bhosale: 77 - Assistant Sub-Inspector Ravindra Angre: 51
- Assistant Inspector of Police Sachin Hindurao Vaze: 63
- Sachin WazeSachin WazeSachin Hindurao Vaze is a former police officer in the Maharashtra Police Force of India. Vaze is known as an "encounter specialist" with the Mumbai Encounter Squad and was involved with the deaths of as many as 63 criminals. Vaze joined Maharashtra Police Force in 1990 and he resigned on 30...
- Police Inspector Vijay SalaskarVijay SalaskarVijay Salaskar was a Senior Police Inspector and encounter specialist serving with the Mumbai police. He was widely credited with killing 75–80 criminals in encounters — most of these were members of the Arun Gawli gang...
(killed in November 2008 Mumbai attacks): 75–80
Punjab
The term "police encounter" was often used during the Punjab insurgencyPunjab insurgency
The insurgency in the Indian state of Punjab originated in the late 1970s. The roots of the insurgency were very complex.-Punjabi Suba Movement:In the 1950s and 1960s, linguistic issues in India caused civil disorder when the central government declared Hindi as the national language of India...
between 1984 and 1995. During this time, Punjab police
Punjab police
The Punjab Police is responsible for policing in the state of Punjab, India. Its present Director General is a J&K cadre IPS officer Mr. PS Gill...
officials would often report “encounters” to local newspapers and to the family members of those killed. The victim was typically a person the police deemed to be a militant
Militant
The word militant, which is both an adjective and a noun, usually is used to mean vigorously active, combative and aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in 'militant reformers'. It comes from the 15th century Latin "militare" meaning "to serve as a soldier"...
or involved in the militant separatist movement, though proof of alleged militant involvement was rarely given. Such encounters have also been referred to as “staged encounters” or “fake encounters,” as these deaths were often believed to be the result of torture or outright execution. Ultimately, the practice became so common that “encounter” became synonymous with extrajudicial execution.
The Punjab police
Punjab police
The Punjab Police is responsible for policing in the state of Punjab, India. Its present Director General is a J&K cadre IPS officer Mr. PS Gill...
specifically targeted the families of suspected militants in encounter killings to punish them.
It is alleged that police typically take a suspected militant into custody without filing an arrest report. If the suspect died during interrogation, security forces would deny ever taking the person into custody and instead claim that they were killed during an armed encounter. It is alleged that police would add weapons to the dead body to demonstrate cause for killing the individual, stage-managing the encounter, leading to the popular phrase “fake encounter killing.” They would also concoct a story about militants staging an attack or the suspect attempting to escape while being escorted to recover militant arms. At times, the Punjab police applied for and received production warrants that allowed them to remove individuals accused in terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
cases from jail; whereupon they often killed the detainees in fake encounters. Sukhwinder Singh Bhatti
Sukhwinder Singh Bhatti
Sukhwinder Singh Bhatti was a criminal defense attorney in Sangrur district of Punjab, India, and the district's leading defense lawyer for individuals accused of crimes under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act...
, a criminal defense attorney in Punjab who defended such suspects, himself disappeared in May 1994.
Gujarat
After the communal riots of 20022002 Gujarat violence
The 2002 Gujarat violence describes the Godhra train burning and resulting communal riots between Hindus and Muslims. On 27 February 2002 at Godhra City in the state of Gujarat, the Sabarmati Express train was attacked by a large Muslim mob in a conspiracy. But some authentic sources deny the claim...
in Gujarat, there were several police encounter deaths in Gujarat. Some of these were attributed to attempts to kill the state's chief minister Narendra Modi
Narendra Modi
Narendra Damodardas Modi is the current Chief Minister of the Indian state of Gujarat.He was born in a middle class family in Vadnagar; and is a member of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh since childhood, as also an active politician since early in life. He holds a masters degree in political...
in retaliation for the alleged involvement of the state machinery in the riots.
Judicial investigations by the Indian authorities found two of these counters, both led by DIG
Deputy Inspector General of Police
A deputy inspector general of police is a high ranking senior police officer in several countries.- India :Deputy inspector general of police or additional commissioner of police is a one-star rank in the Indian Police Service...
DG Vanjara of Ahmedabad Police
Ahmedabad City Police
The Ahmedabad City Police is responsible for law enforcement and public safety in the city of Ahmedabad, India. It is a subdivision of the state police force of Gujarat, and is headed by a commissioner of police. The police force came under fierce criticism recently for its inability to control the...
, to be fake:
- Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter
- Ishrat Jahan encounter case
Other places
VeerappanVeerappan
Koose Muniswamy Veerappan commonly known as Veerappan, was a notorious dacoit, or robber bandit, of India. He was active for a period of years in a broad swath of land covering 6,000 km² in the states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu...
, the notorious forest brigand, was reportedly killed by the Special Task Force (STF) in an encounter on 18 October 2004. Some human rights outfits claimed that the circumstantial evidence indicated that he was killed in a fake encoutner after being tortured by the police.
In 19 September 2008, Delhi-police insepector Mohan Chand Sharma
Mohan Chand Sharma
Mohan Chand Sharma was an Indian Police Inspector who served in the Delhi Police, Special Cell and was killed during the Batla House encounter in Delhi with suspected terrorists. Sharma was a much-decorated police officer and had won seven gallantry medals including the President of India's Medal...
was killed in the Batla House encounter case
Batla House encounter case
Batla House encounter officially known as Operation Batla House, took place on 19 September 2008, against suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorists in Batla House locality in Jamia Nagar, Delhi, in which two suspected terrorist, Atif Amin and Mohamed Sajid, two other suspects Mohd Saif and Zeeshan...
in New Delhi. The encounter led to the arrest of two suspected Indian Mujahideen (IM) terrorists, while a third managed to escape. The Shahi Imam
Shahi imam
The Shahi Imam is the Imam of New Delhi's Jama Masjid. He is the de facto Sheikh-ul-Islam of the Muslims of India....
of the Jama Masjid
Jama Masjid, Delhi
The Masjid-i Jahān-Numā , commonly known as the Jama Masjid of Delhi, is the principal mosque of Old Delhi in India. Commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, builder of the Taj Mahal,in the year 1644 CE and completed in the year 1658 AD, it is the largest and best-known mosque in India...
termed the encounter as "totally fake", and accused the Government of harassing Muslims. Several political parties and activists demanded a probe into the allegations that the encounter was fake. After an investigation, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) cleared the police of any violations of rights.
In popular culture
A number of Indian filmsCinema of India
The cinema of India consists of films produced across India, which includes the cinematic culture of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. Indian films came to be followed throughout South Asia and...
have depicting police encounters. These include:
- Ab Tak ChhappanAb Tak ChhappanAb Tak Chhappan is a 2004 Hindi film directed by Shimit Amin, written by Sandeep Srivastava, produced by Ram Gopal Varma, and starring Nana Patekar in the lead role. It also stars Revathi, Yashpal Sharma, Mohan Agashe, Nakul Vaid, and Hrishitaa Bhatt in supporting roles...
starring Nana PatekarNana PatekarVishwanath "Nana" Patekar is an Indian actor and filmmaker.-Biography:Born Vishwanath Patekar in Murud-Janjira, Maharashtra, to Dinkar Patekar and his wife Sanjanabai Patekar. He is an alumnus of the Sir J.J... - Encounter: The Killing starring Naseeruddin ShahNaseeruddin ShahNaseeruddin Shah is an Indian / Bollywood film actor and director. He is considered to be one of the finest actors of Indian cinema. In 2003, the Government of India honored him with the Padma Bhushan for his contributions towards Indian cinema.-Early life:...
- Kaagar
- Kaakha KaakhaKaakha KaakhaKaakha Kaakha is a 2003 Tamil crime thriller film starring Surya, Jyothika and Jeevan in the lead roles. The film was written and directed by Gautham Menon and the music was composed by Harris Jayaraj...
, a TamilTamil languageTamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
film starring Surya - KhakeeKhakeeKhakee is a 2004 Bollywood action film directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and written by Santoshi and Shridhar Raghavan about corruption and law and order in India. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgan, Atul Kulkarni, Prakash Raj, Aishwarya Rai, Tusshar Kapoor, Tanuja, and...
(2003), starring Amitabh BachchanAmitabh BachchanAmitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
and Ajay DevganAjay DevganAjay Devgan , born Vishal Veeru Devgan on 2 April 1969, is an Indian film actor, director, and producer.He made his film debut with Phool Aur Kaante in 1991 and received a Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut for his performance in the film and for which he won a Filmfare Best Debut Award... - RiskRisk (film)Risk is a 2007 Bollywood movie directed by Vishram Sawant. It stars Randeep Hooda, Vinod Khanna, Tanushree Dutta, Zakir Hussain, Yashpal Sharma and Anant Jog in the lead roles. The movie is based on the Mumbai underworld...
- Shootout at LokhandwalaShootout at LokhandwalaShootout at Lokhandwala is a 2007 Hindi feature film directed by Apoorva Lakhia. It is based upon the 1991 Lokhandwala Complex shootout, a real-life gun battle between gangsters and Mumbai Police....
Vikram Chandra's novel Sacred Games is based on the police force in Mumbai and provides a riveting account of police encounters.