The NHRC’s clean chit to Delhi Police’s Special Cell in the Batla House encounter has been rejected by the relatives of the alleged Indian Mujahidin (IM) activists from Azamgarh district.

They allege that no one from the NHRC visited the spot at Delhi’s Jamia Nagar locality, nor did they record the statements of the people living around Batla House who had witnessed the police operation last year on September 19. The locals from Jamia Nagar too, corroborate this.

Most of the relatives seem unaware of the details of the report, which deals with various points raised by those who questioned the encounter in which two alleged IM activists — Atif Amin and Sajid — and Inspector M C Sharma were killed.

Atif’s father Mohammad Amin said: “Investigation by any agency cannot bring my son back to life. But the NHRC report is not unbiased and appears to be based on facts made available by the police. We are of the view that that our boys were unarmed and had not fired at the police team. The NHRC should have probed as to who shot Inspector Sharma.”

Sajid’s father Dr Ansarul Hassan refused to comment.

Mohammad Shadab of Sanjarpur, whose sons Mohammad Saif and Dr Shahnawaj are allegedly among key IM operatives, said: “The NHRC report is solely based on papers provided by the Delhi Police. The commission did not make any effort to look into the circumstantial evidence”.

His younger son Saif was arrested during the encounter while the elder, Shahnawaj, is wanted by the Delhi Police and carries a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head.

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