Police today dismissed criticism over the encounter killing of eight SIMI activists near Bhopal, saying there was heavy exchange of fire in which they were felled after which four countrymade guns and some sharp- edged weapons were recovered from them.
"There was heavy firing from the other side (activists) and they were killed in retaliatory fire. Three policemen received injuries from sharp weapons. Police opened 45-46 rounds of fire," IG Yogesh Chaudhary told a media briefing after questions were raised over the genuineness of the encounter.
The 8 activists of the banned SIMI were killed in an encounter hours after they escaped from the high-security Bhopal jail after slitting the throat of a guard and scaling the wall using bedsheets between 2 and 3 in the morning.
Chaudhary repeatedly maintained that all questions raised over the encounter were a matter of investigation as the series of events over seven hours between their escape and killing were still being probed.
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