'No one will call Batla House encounter fake'

Slain inspector's mother welcomes verdict, recollects braveheart

Delhi Police inspector Mohan Chand Sharma’s 77-year-old mother was one of the last family members to meet him before he was killed in the Batla House encounter in south-east Delhi around five years ago.

Sharing her grief with Deccan Herald, Devendri Devi said she remembers Sharma’s every living moment and vividly remembers the morning of September 19, 2008.

She welcomed Saket Court’s decision to convict lone suspected Indian Mujahideen operative Shahzad Ahmad for murder and other offences, saying no one would now call it a fake encounter case. “We are happy with the verdict as so many people kept saying in front of us that this was a fake encounter. If the government gave my son all these awards for his bravery, how could they say the encounter was fake? My son died, nothing can change that,” Devendri said.

Devendri lives with her 81-year-old husband Narottam, daughter-in-law Maya and grandchildren Himani and Divyanshu at Om Satyam Apartments in Dwarka sector 4. She further said the family has moved on as they have been living without Sharma for five years now. She also appealed to the court that Shahzad should be given a harsh punishment.

Remembering Sharma, Devendri said being an investigating officer of the September 13 bombings, he kept busy and rarely came home in the week. Divyanshu was also undergoing treatment for dengue at Kalra Hospital for the last four days. “Mohan, however, always took time to visit Divyanshu despite being busy with the probe into the blasts,” Devendri said.

Sharma had returned home late on September 12 after being forced by wife Maya, who was at Kalra Hospital. “I asked him for dinner, but he told me he was not feeling hungry and went to sleep,” Devendri added.

He woke up early on the fateful day and was planning to have breakfast with his parents. “He got ready and I was serving breakfast when he received a phone call and told me that he has to leave. As I insisted on having the breakfast, he grabbed a sandwich from my hand and left in a hurry,” she said. Devendri never saw her son alive again.

Around noon, when she was with her Narottam at Keshavpuram market, they received a phone call from their daughter. “She informed us that Mohan had been shot at and  hospitalised,” Devendri said.

Sharma had led the Batla House encounter at Jamia Nagar, where terrorists linked with the September 13 bombings were suspected of hiding. He was not wearing a bulletproof armour, and sustained bullet injuries to his abdomen, thighs and right arm. According to the post-mortem report, he died of excessive bleeding.

On the other hand, Narottam claimed that they were not informed when the incident happened. “When we called people, nobody answered. When we reached the hospital where my son was admitted, we were not even allowed to go inside,” Narottam said.

“People kept saying the encounter was fake. We don’t know what Shahzad did or did not. He is also a son to someone, the way we lost our son. Let the court decide the final verdict,” he added.

Sharma’s wife Maya said she was very relieved after the verdict as it is a proof that the encounter was genuine. “This issue was made political by saying it was fake. Those who tried to divert the attention, kept saying it was a fake encounter. After the verdict, no one will say it was fake again,” she said.

She added she believes in the judiciary of the country and that her husband was an honest man. “I never responded to such allegations as I knew law would vindicate his position,” Maya added.

His heroics

Sharma was a much-decorated police officer and had won seven gallantry medals, including the President’s Medal. He was awarded the Ashoka Chakra on January 26, 2009.

A native of Uttarakhand’s Chaukhutia Masi, Sharma served Delhi Police for 19 years. He joined as a sub-inspector in 1989 and was instrumental in the killing of 35 alleged Khalistani terrorists and the arrest of another 80 alleged militants.

He was honoured with President’s Police Medal for Gallantry in 2003, 2007 and 2008 and Police Medals for Gallantry in 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005. He also received over 150 rewards for exemplary performance.

Sharma is also known for his involvement in high-profile cases that include the 2001 Parliament attack, 2000 terrorist attack on Red Fort and October 2005 bombings. He was instrumental in arrest of four alleged Jaish-e-Mohammad militants in February, 2007 after an encounter on DDU Marg. He was also involved in an encounter which saw the death of one of wanted terrorists, Abu Hamza, at JLN Stadium in 2006.