By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
New Delhi: The judgement of Shahzad Ahmed in connection with the Batla House shoot out has some important revelations. On the question of why local residents were not informed and made the witness, as is the procedure laid down in laws, prosecution counsel additional public prosecutor argued that the raiding party was in hurry; adding, “Moreover, majority of residents of that area are followers of the religion, as was of those suspects. If the police officers tried to involve any such local resident, it would have created social unrest in that area, causing fear to the life of those police persons even.”
A Delhi court found Shahzad Ahmed guilty in the Batla House encounter case on Thursday on charges of obstructing public servants in discharge of duties, murder of Inspector MC Sharma and attempt to murder. Additional Sessions Judge Rajender Kumar Shastri will deliver the the quantum of punishment on July 29.
Delhi Police has also maintained that a team of special cell, “requested 7-8 passer by persons to join raiding party after apprising them about contents of information, but none joined by giving genuine excuses.” Hence instead of wasting time they hurried in for the operation.
No religion professes crimes as its tradition, then why the police fostered a belief that it will stir communal violence if they invited local residents to join a raid, to arrest an offender, who was belonging to their religion?
The bench of additional Sessions Judge Rajender Kumar Shastri wrote in the judgement explaining, “It is equally true that having witnessed incidents of clashes between different religions, way as apprehended by Ld. Addl. PP (learned additional public prosecutor), the fear of police being targeted, cannot be abnegated outrightly.”
The honourable judge believes that even otherwise, “public apathy in joining investigation of heinous offences even of general concern as a witness, have been highlighted by the media as well as by the higher courts, time and again.”
Hence keeping in mind all this trend of general public, in the opinion of the honourable judge, “if the police could not join any public person on the way to spot, same is not fatal to the case of prosecution.”
