Bunty Shah was an extrajudicial Killing, Police regretting the killing termed it as "botched operation or mistaken identity".

Bunty Shah Photo. PHOTO | FILE

The Sunday murder of Bunty Shah, the son of industrialist Vipin Shah by police who later denied on was, in keeping with tradition, to deny any involvement. The murder which was executed by armored Police with armory vehicles was expressed by the family as extrajudicial Killings.


It is not clear, the reasons made the security forces executed the only son of Vipin Shah. After a constant denial, now the police have agreed and accepted that they Killed Bunty Shah but was mistaken identity.




Then yesterday, the police issued a statement regretting the killing in what they now acknowledge was a botched operation. It should not surprise those conversant with police operations in this country, for that is the vintage police for you.


They first make denials, then launch probes nobody gets to hear anything about, and that is because the police cannot investigate and prosecute themselves.


Bunty Shah was killed in his bedroom, completely unarmed. How does that jell in with the claim of mistaken identity? Had the police been on the tail of a criminal to warrant the mistaken identity claim? And what was the crime for which Shah died? The police claim to mistaken identity is repugnant as it is illegal.


This, clearly, is a case of extra-judicial killing for which the truth will never be known. Shah’s life was as precious as that of those the police sought to protect by a raid they claim was on a terror cell, and did not deserve to die. An apology does not change the fact that an innocent life was lost needlessly.


This Police killings hullabaloo comes after dozens of Luos in Nyanza were butchered by the same forces who were buried last weekend.  Today Morning, a Catholic priest was found murdered in Kisumu and is already speculated to be executed by Police officers. His death comes just after he was vocal on the Luo Killings.