Bangalore cops gunned down half-a-dirty-dozen

Have Bangalore police turned trigger happy? Human rights activists may be justified in entertaining such a doubt, going by the number of alleged anti-social elements who were gunned down in 2010.

In all, six anti-social elements were gunned down this year, against a sole rowdy-sheeter, Parandhama, who was killed in 2009.

Policing in Bangalore began with a bang in the year 2010 when Mahadevapura police opened fire on Namraj Thapa Bahadur, a notorious criminal on January 1.

But Bahadur was luck as he was injured in the leg. But notorious rowdy Johnson alias Vijay, 33 was not so lucky on April 22 when police caught up with him and gunned him down in front of HKBK College campus near Nagavara. Johnson, an accused in the infamous murder of a rowdy inside a ward in Hosmat Hospital in 2006, was shot after he opened fire on a three-member team of police inspectors which was giving him a hot chase injuring HSR Layout inspector LY Rajesh.

Inter-state goon AK Singh was killed in another police encounter on September 9. Thirty-year-old Singh was wanted by Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar police in 29 cases.

An MBA graduate and resident of Peenya, Singh had fled police custody on September 8 and opened fire at a police party chasing him in Sanjaynagar when the police decided to return the fire.

A fortnight days later, the city police again opened fire and killed two anti-social elements in two separate encounters. It was for the first time that two separate encounter deaths were reported in one night in the city.

Chandu alias Drum alias Chandrasekhar, 23, an associate of Ravi Poojari was killed in police encounter on Agara Main Road. He had reportedly escaped after he and his associates allegedly fired at Mantri Developers office on Vittal Mallya Road a few hours earlier.

Hours later, 23-year-old Pachchi, who was wanted in several cases, was shot dead near Yeshwanthpur railway station.

Pachchi, a resident of Mathikere, was gunned down after he attacked a Yeshwantpur police team which was on his pursuit.
On December 18, Chandru of Denkanikote in Tamil Nadu was killed in a police encounter  near Bagalur.

The same night, a 27- year old notorious rowdy, Pedda Gunda, was killed in a police encounter in Peenya II Stage while he was trying to escape from a police party that was chasing him. A police officer involved in one of the encounters said there was rise in rowdyism during this year and the police too were firm in cracking down on the rowdies.