In HC: NHRC agrees to probe Batla encounter

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Wednesday agreed to go ahead with an independent inquiry into the September 19 police encounter at Batla House that left two alleged militants and Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma dead.

The nation’s top human rights panel told a High Court Division Bench led by Chief Justice A P Shah to open the probe into the police action regardless of objections raised by the government to a magisterial inquiry. The Bench recorded the submission from NHRC and observed that it would pass formal orders on May 21.

The court was hearing a PIL filed by an NGO — Act Now For Harmony and Democracy — that raised doubts over police’s version of the encounter and sought a judicial inquiry.

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Two alleged members of the Indian Mujahideen — Atif Amin and Mohammed Sajid — and Special Cell’s Inspector Sharma were killed in the encounter,which took place days after the September 13 serial blasts in the Capital.

“Time is passing — You (NHRC) have every right to do it. I don’t see any obstacle in it,” the court had earlier told the human rights commission.