Police-Sangh Parivar nexus behind Kabeer fake encounter: PFI

Mangalore, Apr 20: Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in a mass protest organised by the district unit of Popular Front of India (PFI) in front of the deputy commissioner's office here on Sunday, demonstrating against the fake encounter killing of Kabeer, who was gunned down by ANF personnel at a forest checkpoint in the wee hours of Saturday.

Addressing the protestors, PFI district president A M Ataullah said that the fake encounter of Kabeer, coupled with assault on his family by a saffron organisation gave rise to suspicions that there was a hidden nexus between the police and pro-Hindutva organisations. The encounter of Kabeer looks like a part of Bajrang Dal's agenda. The oppression of minorities that existed during the previous BJP state government is continuing even today,” he said, pointing out that such kind of encounters would continue to occur until the government took appropriate action against such atrocities.

Demanded to hand over the fake encounter case to CBI for a detailed probe in the matter, he said that strict action should be taken against the officials who gunned down an innocent civilian like Kabeer. The family of the victim should be compensated for their loss and the false cases registered against his companions should be withdrawn, he said.

Speaking on the occasion, PFI leader Shafi Bellare said that there was no difference between Narendra Modi's Gujarat and Siddaramaiah's Karnataka if innocent civilians were killed in fake encounters by the police. After the fall of BJP government in the state, the continuous atrocities on minorities and moral policing acts by saffron groups makes it clear that the police are involved with the perpetrators of the assaults on people. The repeated attempts are being made to suppress minorities and Dalits by Sangh Parivar and saffron groups and the police are also involved in this, he said, adding that it was a failure of the government that there was no protection for the minorities in the state.

Alleging that the police system was implementing the Sangh Parivar's agenda on minorities in the state, he said that following the fake encounter of Kabeer, the police was making attempts to alleviate the issue and cover it up with false cases on the victim. “It is clear that the encounter was a pre-planned killing of a civilian belonging to the minority community, at the behest of Bajrang Dal leaders. We have to raise our voices against such injustice and pressurise the government to take appropriate measures so that the minorities can live peacefully in the society,” he said, adding that the government was indirectly involved with the fake encounter.

He said that the PFI would continue its struggle till justice was provided to the slain youth and his family.

Syed Ibrahim Khazi Thangal, PFI leader Ali Hasan and others spoke on the occasion.