The killing of civilians by the police under questionable circumstances—police encounters as they are generally called—happens in several countries. In the US, according to The Economist, police kill about 1,000 people a year. “No other rich country comes close.” The statistics of poorer countries are worse. In El Salvador, police are 22 times deadlier than the US. In Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), cops killed more people in 2017 than all of America’s police. In the Philippines, the police had a license to kill all those involved in drug peddling. In Balochistan (Pakistan), people are killed every day with tacit approval of the state government. In Nigeria, according to a human rights activist, “police brutality is as common as water”.
This is, however, not to say that such police encounters are legitimate or justified. In India, Article 21 of the Constitution clearly says that “no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law”. India is also a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, whose Article 6 states that “every human being has the inherent right to life, and this right shall be protected by law”.
