JOIN USManoj's encounter team transferred
Delhi Police on Tuesday transferred nine members of the Special Cell team who were involved in the encounter of alleged criminal Manoj Vashisht in central Delhi’s Old Rajender Nagar. It was done after Manoj’s family asked Delhi Police Commissioner Bhim Sain Bassi to not let the policemen influence the case.
Those transferred are inspector Dharmender Kumar to IGI Airport, sub-inspectors Vivek Singh (PCR) and Bhoop Singh (1st Bn. DAP), head constables Sanjay Pal Singh (3rd Bn. DAP) and Anil Rao (PTS/Wazirabad), and constables Jitendra Kumar (7th Bn. DAP), Abdul Ahmed Khan (PTC Jharoda Kalan), Mohit Salve (Security) and Munish Solanki (Provisions and Logistics).
On Tuesday, Manoj’s widow Priyanka and other family members had met Bassi to demand a fair probe in the case. Bassi empathised with them and has assured an impartial investigation.
Manoj’s family members also said they will now cremate his body. They had earlier refused to take the body from the morgue.
“The police commissioner assured a fair and expeditious probe. Our family has been given security and a Vigilance probe has been ordered. All policemen involved in the encounter have been transferred. If the SIT probe is not satisfactory, we will approach court,” said Manoj’s brother Anil.
While a Vigilance enquiry was also launched by police to ascertain the series of events as they unfolded at Sagar Ratna restaurant, sources said police were in favour of additional disciplinary proceedings against senior officers of the elite anti-terror unit.
“There is a view within the police establishment that responsibility for the incident should be affixed to senior officers and not just the nine men who were simply following orders,” said a senior police officer.
“If they were at fault, officers posted at the ranks of assistant commissioner and deputy commissioner of police, too, must be taken to task in the interests of addressing the issue of public perception. A call is expected to be taken by Wednesday,” the officer added.
Fired from own pistol
Meanwhile, a source quoted initial forensic investigation of the incident to claim that the bullet that got Manoj in the head “seemed to have been accidentally fired from his own pistol” during the melee that was triggered after the police team confronted him.
“This is among several significant possibilities that are being investigated forensically to get to the bottom of the case. We will submit a report on the incident to Union Home Ministry before the weekend,” the officer said.