New Delhi: “Killing someone with an intention of self-defence is a convenient methodology used by the security forces as an arbitrary way of working with zero accountability in the garb of national security…”

These were the words of a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officer at a debate organised last month by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) for the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF).

However, the event made headlines this week solely due to a controversial speech by a Central Reserve Police Force (CPRF) constable, Khushboo Chauhan, who asked Indians “to pierce (former Jawaharlal Nehru University student leader) Kanhaiya Kumar’s chest with the national flag”.

Assistant Commandant (Executive) Mayank Bhati, the CISF officer quoted above, certainly didn’t agree with Chauhan on this.

“Not a single day goes by when in some parts of the country or the other an alleged gangster or terrorist is shot down, detained or mercilessly tortured without proof that the amount of force used was compelled by the action of the accused…”

And neither did most of the 15 other participants at the NHRC debate who spoke for or against the subject at hand — ‘Terrorism & militancy in the country can be tackled effectively while observing human rights’.

The annual event that has been organised by NHRC’s investigation division for the last 23 years saw 16 finalists this time from eight CAPF teams — two each from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Assam Rifles and CISF, and one each from the National Security Guard and CRPF.

The winner was from the CISF.