Student's fake encounter: CBI seeks death for 7 cops

Stating that they behaved in a 'predatory manner,' the Central Bureau of Investigation on Saturday sought the death sentence for Uttarakhand policemen convicted for the fake encounter of a 22-year-old management student.

Special CBI judge, JPS Malik, reserved its order on the sentencing for Monday. Earlier on Friday, his court had convicted 18 Uttarakhand policemen in the fake encounter case. Of the 18 policemen, seven were found guilty of kidnapping and murder, while 10 were found guilty of conspiring to kidnap and murdering the accused. Only one police personnel was charged for the offence of public servant framing incorrect record to save a person from punishment.

On July 3 2009, the Uttarakhand police had caught and brutally killed Ranbir Singh, a resident of Ghaziabad, at Mohini Road in Dehradun, where he had gone along with his friends for work. Uttarakhand police claimed to have evidence that Singh was part of an extortion racket in the Doon valley. CBI during its investigations had reached to a conclusion that Ranbir was killed after being subjected to torture. The agency had also alleged that on the same day, 12 bullets were pumped into Ranbir's body from close distance and the incident was passed off as an encounter. There were 27 other deep injuries on his body.

Ranbir's family had sought capital punishment for all the guilty. On Saturday, senior public prosecutor Brajesh Kumar Shukla demanded the death penalty for seven convicted under the offence of Section 302 (murder) of IPC saying that the case falls under the act of 'rarest of rare as the fake encounter was proved in the court.' "The circumstances under which the victim was killed deserves nothing less then death penalty," said Shukla. "Police were the protectors of law but they behaved in a predatory manner. They should have given protection to the victim, but they killed him in a fake encounter... Pandemonium can't be allowed to be prevailed."

CBI has also argued in favour of compensation for Ranbir's family.