Social activist Shabnam Hashmi has accused a police official of threatening to kill her in an encounter. She identified the official as "Sub-Inspector Sandeep Malik from the Lajpat Nagar police station”.
On 16 July, she approached the Delhi Police with her complaint. However, the police has said that there was no personnel with the name at the Lajpat Nagar police station, but has assured of a probe into the matter.
‘Those Who Don’t Have an Aadhaar Will Be Surrounded and Killed’
Shabnam Hashmi is the co-founder of Pehchan, an NGO that runs sewing classes. Hashmi said that a woman who takes classes at the centre told her that her husband had received a call from the police, asking him to appear at the Lajpat Nagar police station.
The man, an auto-rickshaw driver identified as Mohammad Haseen (38), got scared because the “policeman” did not tell him the reason and just asked him to appear at the police station at the earliest, she said.
However, Romil Baaniya, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast), has said that there is no police official named 'Sandeep Malik’ at the Lajpat Nagar police station.
In a letter to police commissioner Amulya Patnaik, Hashmi said that when she dialled the number that Haseen had received a call from, a man who called himself ‘Sandeep Malik’ abused her.
In a Facebook post about the incident, Hashmi wrote:
“Unfortunately [the first time around] my telephone did not have a call recorder downloaded. The conversation which was full of abuses, using highly derogatory and uncivilised language could not be recorded. I cut the phone after 15 minutes or so and downloaded a call recorder quickly. In between the person who claimed to be the Sub Inspector Sandip Malik from Lajpat Nagar Police Station called four times but I didn’t pick up the phone till the recorder was downloaded”.
“I am attaching the recording which is self explanatory. The earlier conversation was a lot more threatening and abusive as compared to what has been recorded."
I was directly threatened that I will be killed in an encounter and that there is the new law according to which whoever doesn’t have an aadhaar and address proof should be surrounded and killed (‘एक अभियान चल रहा है घेरो और मारो’ ). The man who claimed to be the Sub-Inspector called from mobile no 7065824289. I was directly threatened that I will be killed in an encounter and that there is the new law according to which whoever does not have an Aadhaar card and address proof should be culled out/surrounded and killed (ghero aur maaro),” she stated in her letter.
Delhi Police Chief Spokesperson Dependra Pathak said the matter will probed. “From the onset, it does not appear that someone from the Delhi Police made this call. This complaint will be inquired into and strict action will be taken,” said the officer.
(With inputs from PTI)
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