Odisha human rights commission to probe gangster Hyder’s ‘encounter’ death

BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha human rights commission (OHRC) on Monday said they would probe if gangster Sheikh Hyder’s death in police firing in Balasore on Saturday was a real encounter or stage-managed. The OHRC has sought reports from different government officers on the circumstances that led to Hyder’s death.
“The commission has come across media reports and taken suo-motu cognisance of the matter relating the Sk Hyder’s death. Let notices be issued to the additional chief secretary (home department), director general of police, director general of prisons and correctional services and commissioner of police. They should submit their respective reports on the matter within four weeks,” read the OHRC’s order issued by its chairperson justice B K Patel and member Asim Amitabh Dash. The OHRC has posted the hearing date on September 6.
The commissionerate police, whose officers were shifting the murder convict Hyder (60) from Choudwar circle jail to Baripada in Mayurbhanj district, said an officer fired at the gangster in a ‘controlled’ manner and for ‘self-defence’ as Hyder was trying to flee by snatching the firearm of the escort party in Balasore district on July 24. Inspector Gangadhar Saseni was leading the escort team, accompanied by sub-inspector Asit Ranjan Jena, havildar major Gajendra Nath Soren and havildars Surya Kumar Rout, Soumya Ranjan Rout, Satyajit Swain, Rohit Kumar Mallick, Purusottam Rout, Rajendra Nayak and Kalpataru Nayak.
Saseni’s FIR at Simulia police station in Balasore said Hyder had snatched an AK-47 from Surya Kumar when the vehicle was stopped to allow the gangster to attend the nature’s call en-route Baripada. “The moment Hyder’s hand-cuff was unlocked, he snatched the firearm and threatened to fire on us. He hurled abuses. In an act of self-defence and trying to save the lives of the escort party, sub-inspector Asit Ranjan fired three rounds at Hyder in a controlled manner. Though Hyder was rushed to Balasore hospital, he succumbed to bullet injuries,” the FIR said.
However, several retired police officers, lawyer and human rights activists have been questioning the genuineness of the encounter and demanding an impartial inquiry. They termed the encounter as fake and extra judicial killing by the commissionerate police.
Inspired By