Lucknow Encounter: Family Members of Kamran Call It A Murder by Police

New Delhi, 31 Oct 2021 [Fik/News Sources]: Family members of Azamgarh-based Kamran, who was killed by Uttar Pradesh’s STF in an alleged encounter on Wednesday, October 27, have raised questions over police claims of encounter and called the killing ‘murder’.

According to the police, Kamran along with Ali Sher was planning to kill a traders’ leader in Lucknow when they were trapped by the STF and gunned down.

“Ali Sher and his aide (Kamran) were planning to kill a prominent trader leader in the old city area of Lucknow. After getting a tip-off, a team laid a trap and cornered them between the Ghaila police outpost and Faizullaganj road. When the duo was asked to surrender, they opened fire on the STF team. They suffered gunshot injuries in the retaliatory firing. The duo was taken to Bhaurao Deoras Hospital in Mahanagar where they were pronounced dead,” ASP Vishal Vikram Singh was quoted by IANS as saying.

Waseem, Kamaran’s nephew, told Clarion India on the phone from Azamgarh that on Wednesday evening, his 45-year-old uncle had gone to play volleyball. Two hours before the encounter, he had talked to his uncle over the phone. He had said that he would come to him in 10-15 minutes. He was waiting for him to come. Then, around 9:30 pm, the SHO of Ghambhirpur police station in Azamgarh informed him that Kamran was killed in the encounter. “Tell me, how can anyone go to Lucknow in two hours?” asked Waseem, who hails from Azamgarh’s Magraon Raipur village.

“When we got his body, we found his eyes crushed. His rib bone was fractured. His hand was broken. Eardrum ruptured. Teeth broken. This does not happen in the encounter. This is not encounter but murder,” said Waseem.

He also refuted the allegations levelled by the police that he was an aide to sharpshooter Ali Sher. “All these allegations are false. Ten years before, Ali Sher had opened fire at our uncle. How can our uncle be with him?” he said. Waseem also refused the police allegations that there was any case against him and he had opened fire at the police.

He believed that people from his village had a hand in his killing with whom he had a fight recently. He said that Kamran’s wife had also received a threat call.

Kamran’s family members along with rights activist Rajiv Yadav also met Azamgarh SP on Saturday to demand a probe into his killing and punish the culprits.

Talking about the alleged encounter, Yadav said that it is not the encounter but political murder. The UP Police are following the thok do policy of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. He also demanded a high-level probe into the alleged encounter of Kamran.