Shooting Incident
On 27 October 2008, Rahul Raj, a 25-year-old man from Patna, boarded a double decker city bus route No. 332 plying between Kurla and Andheri at Saki Naka stop around 10 am and went to the upper deck. Rahul, wielding a country made revolver, had taken control of the bus and injured one passenger. He was protesting against the attacks on north Indian candidates appearing for a railway examination recently. He also wanted to talk to the Mumbai Police Commissioner and media. The three key eyewitnesses, including the bus conductor, have told the crime branch that Bhagat, the injured passenger, was injured by Rahul Raj's bullet.
Rahul reportedly said that he was not there to harm passengers but instead wanted to ‘kill Raj Thackeray’.According to senior inspector, Dadasaheb Godse, Vinoba Bhave station, Kurla, Raj shouted
"I want to kill Raj Thackeray. I have nothing against the passengers. Don’t shoot me.”.
However, he allegedly attacked the conductor of the bus and injured a passenger with his revolver. The bus was taken to the nearest police station. According to key eye-witnesses, Rahul fired multiple shots: One outside the bus on seeing the police which lodged in the metal frame of the bus. He also fired a shot at a hostage passenger Bhagat, who had ducked between the seats on firing of the first shot. In a subsequent police shoot out, Mumbai Police shot him dead. A special team of officers entered the bus and went to the upper deck of the bus. Three police officers fired 13 shots, 4 of which hit Rahul Raj, which was confirmed by a four-member panel of forensic experts at J J Hospital carried out a post-mortem on Rahul. Three hit him in the head and one went through his heart. It was alleged that police could have taken him into custody. According to the Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials adopted by UN General Assembly resolution 34/169 of 17 December 1979, Article 3 states that,
"Law enforcement officials may use force only when strictly necessary and to the extent required for the performance of their duty."
ACP Sadanand Date a highly decorated police officer overseeing the operation (who was later seriously injured and attracted international attention during the November 2008 Mumbai attacks because of his actions resisting terrorists at the Cama and Albless Hospital ), later told reporters that Rahul Raj had fired upon the police & also shot a hostage passenger. Hence the police had to fire in retaliation.
Read more about this topic: Rahul Raj Encounter
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