A key suspect in the murder of former Tamil Nadu BSP chief K Armstrong in July was shot dead by the Chennai police early this morning, marking the third police encounter in the capital city of Tamil Nadu since July.
The suspect, 'Seizing' Raja, had been arrested in Andhra Pradesh just a day before the incident. The police encounter took place near Neelangarai on the East Coast Road. A Chennai police official told NDTV, "We are investigating the circumstances surrounding Raja's death and will soon issue a statement."
This incident follows the deaths of Thiruvengadam, another suspect in the murder case, and Kakkathopu Balaji, a known criminal, who was killed in similar circumstances just days ago. In both previous incidents, authorities claimed that police were compelled to fire in self-defence.
The recent spate of encounter killings in Chennai has raised alarms among human rights activists, who have criticized the police, for what they describe as "atrocious" and "extra-judicial". They have also accused the police of becoming "trigger-happy", under the new police commissioner, Ravi.
Henri Tiphagne, Founder and Executive Director of People's Watch, condemned the actions of law enforcement and said, "The judiciary should take this up suo motto. The state Human Rights Commission and state legal services too, have equal responsibility." He warned that such actions could lead to an environment where citizens feel unsafe, as every encounter killing is justified by the police.
