Raipur — Justice prevailed after nearly four years on Wednesday, when Chhattisgarh police registered cases of murder against 11 policemen in connection with the fake encounter of a minor tribal girl Meena Khalko, who was killed on July 12, 2011. Cases under Section 34 of IPC (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) have also been registered against 14 other policemen.
Police action comes a week after the single person judicial commission, headed by district judge Anita Jha submitted its report casting serious doubts over police’s claim of Meena being killed in an encounter with Naxalites.
The report was submitted to government almost three years after the inquiry was ordered under public pressure in 2012.
Confirming the action, CID ADG Rajeev Srivastava told Times of India that a five-member committee, which includes the chief investigator and a DSP, has been formed for further verification and investigation of the case.
In her inquiry report, Jha confirmed that a police bullet had killed Meena. She had raised doubts about the veracity of police’s claim of an encounter, terming police action as unjustified.
Meena was killed in an alleged encounter by a joint team of Balrampur district police and Chhattisgarh Armed Force near Navadih village on July 12, 2011. Balrampur district police claimed that Meena was a Naxalite and had been killed in retaliation after the police party was attacked.
Police had also claimed that a rifle and some other items establishing her Naxalite connections were recovered from her body. However, their claim was refuted by not only Meena’s family members but many residents of Navadih who denied that any encounter had ever taken place on that day.
Following these allegations and protest by human rights activists, government was forced to order a judicial probe and subsequently announce Rs 2 lakh compensation to Meena’s family.