Bhopal Encounter: ATS Chief Says 8 SIMI Men Had No Weapons on Them

The post-mortem report of the killed SIMI men says there were multiple gunshot wounds, mainly above waist.

Since Monday, when eight SIMI members were killed in a police encounter after they escaped from Bhopal Central Jail, there have been several developments in the case.

ATS Chief Says Accused Were Unarmed

• Madhya Pradesh anti-terror squad chief Sanjeev Shami said that the eight men who were killed by the police were not armed at the time of the encounter. But he also added that in such a situation “police have the authority to use maximum force, whatever the case may be”. (NDTV)
• Shami’s remarks contradict the statement made by MP Police IG Yogesh Chowdhary. Chowdhary had said in a press briefing on Monday that four firearms and three sharp weapons were recovered from the eight SIMI men from the site of the encounter.

War of Words Escalates, Mamata Raises Questions

• Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee alleged “political vendetta” in the recent encounter of the eight SIMI activists in Bhopal. She said that many questions remained unanswered after the encounter.

I’ve Been Made a Scapegoat: Bhopal Central Jail ADG

• Bhopal jail ADG Sushovan Banerjee, who was removed hours after the jailbreak, said, “I have been made a scapegoat.” (The Telegraph)
• He said that he was not even involved in the day-to-day security arrangements at the prison and also that three of his earlier alerts regarding security went unacknowledged. (The Telegraph)

Also Read: Slain SIMI Activists’ Lawyer Asks Why Jail CCTV Footage Not Seized

Police Killed the Accused Who Had Wooden Sticks in Hand: Eyewitness

• An eyewitness at the encounter site said he had seen the SIMI men running with only sticks in their hands. He added, “The police team that was chasing the fugitives tried to talk to them. But two other police parties flanked them from both sides and killed them.” (Times of India)
• Mohan Singh Meena, sarpanch of Khejda village, hinted at the accused being dangerous. He said the police shot in the air to stop them, but the accused showed no fear of the police, and weren't afraid to kill or die. (The Huffington Post)

CM Shivraj Visits Bhopal Central Jail

• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan visited Bhopal Central Jail to take stock of the security situation after the eight SIMI members were killed in an encounter after breaking out of the prison.
• The Madhya Pradesh government had been warned in 2014 by an ex-prison chief about the “vulnerable points, illogical security arrangements and deplorable condition of staff” at Bhopal Central Jail. (The Indian Express)

Postmortem Report of SIMI Activists

• The post-mortem report of the eight SIMI activists killed in Bhopal encounter says there are gunshot injuries and multiple entry and exit wounds on the bodies, with majority of the wounds above waist.
• The clothes of the killed men have been sent for a forensic test, reported ANI.
• Bodies of seven of the SIMI members were on Tuesday laid to rest in different parts of Madhya Pradesh amid tight security, while the body of the eighth was taken to Gujarat.

SIT Formed to Probe the Encounter

• The Madhya Pradesh DGP formed a Special Investigating Team to probe the Bhopal encounter on Tuesday.
• The CID, led by IPS Anurag Sharma, will be heading the SIMI encounter probe. ( CNN News 18)
• The National Human Rights Commission issued notices to the Chief Secretary, DGP, DG (Prisons) and IG (Prisons), and the government of Madhya Pradesh over the Bhopal encounter.
• Many from the Opposition hinted at the encounter being fake, while Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday slammed the "dirty politics" being played over the killings.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI.)