"We Have Instructions to Ghero Maro Those Who Don't Have Aadhar Cards"

NEW DELHI: On what basis does a ‘Sub Inspector’ in a Delhi Police Station tell a caller that he will finish her in an encounter? And when she asks why, says that she does not have a Aadhar card, or any ID proof and so he can finish her in a moment.

And not just this, describing himself as a SI in Lajpat Nagar police station, he goes on to insist that the police has a “abhiyaan” to “ghero and maaro”(surround and kill) anyone the police find to be without Aadhar cards of ID proof.

This was in conversation with social activist Shabnam Hashmi who after an initial conversation with the police man downloaded a recording application, and taped the subsequent conversation. She had called the police station as she received a frantic call from a woman working at one of her sewing training centres, whose husband had been directed to appear at the police station on the basis of some complaint, or so he was told.

In the conversation that Hashmi taped a section of, the policeman says very clearly that such instructions to ghero and maaro have been posted at every police station. He says that persons who are at the borders, or within the borders as well, come under this directive if they do not have identity proof, or do not speak politely with the police or other agencies. At one point when Hashmi asks what she has done to be done away with in an encounter, the cop says that she too does not have an identity proof, or an Aadhar card. She reminded him that she had called him on her own telephone, and also she was speaking for someone else and was not an accused herself.

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As Hashmi said, “Pehchan (I am one of the founding trustees) runs a small centre in Jaitpur extension and teaches school drop outs every year. It also runs sewing classes for women.

I received a call from Director of Pehchan coaching centre at 8.59pm. She told me that Haseen, husband of one of the women (Mubina) , who had learnt stitching at our centre, got a call from a man who said that he was calling from the Lajpat Nagar police station and was a sub inspector. He threatened Haseen and called him to the police station regarding some complaint. She gave me the SI’s name and number.

Usually when someone is called at night we do try and call up the police officer concerned, try and arrange a lawyer to go with whoever has been called to the police station.

I did the same. Unfortunately my telephone did not have a call recorder downloaded. The conversation which was full of abuses, using highly derogatory and uncivilized 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 4 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.”