# Bar Tapa Woman vs State of Assam and Others

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1996-0005](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1996-0005)

## Report card

By judgment dated 12 June 1996, the Gauhati High Court (Coram: J. N. Sarma, J.) returned findings adverse to 4 police personnel, namely: Deputy Superintendent of Police, Barpeta, Assam Police; Sub-Inspector, Barpeta, Assam Police; Sub-Inspector (in charge, Bhabanipur OP), Bhabanipur OP, Barpeta; Constable, Barpeta, Assam Police, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 1 lakh (Rs 1,00,000).

- Register number: AS 15 CW 0002
- Case reference: 1997 CriLJ 874
- Court and date: Gauhati High Court (Coram: J. N. Sarma, J.), 12 June 1996
- Officer(s) at the material time: Deputy Superintendent of Police, Barpeta, Assam Police; Sub-Inspector, Barpeta, Assam Police; Sub-Inspector (in charge, Bhabanipur OP), Bhabanipur OP, Barpeta; Constable, Barpeta, Assam Police
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Not stated in the cited sources
- Finding of the Court (extract): “there was no bona fide attempt to apprehend a Bar Tapa man but he was killed by the police personnels in a cold blooded manner.” (at para 6)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Adverse finding + compensation. Sentence: compensation only. Compensation: Rs 1 lakh (Rs 1,00,000).
- Present status of the proceedings: No further proceedings are recorded in the cited sources; the judgment is the concluded position shown.
- Source orders: [Judgment / order (primary source)](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1039850/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1996-0005)

**Record:** CW-1996-0005 (compiler id CWC-0017); case SWDISPRO-025
**Title:** Bar Tapa Woman vs State of Assam and Others
**Court:** Gauhati High Court; judges: J. N. Sarma
**Case number / citation:** 1997 CriLJ 874
**Judgment:** 1996-06-12 (1996, day precision)
**Incident date:** 1995-06-03 (1995)
**Place:** Barpeta, Assam; city town: Bar Tapa; police station or unit: Bhabanipur Out Post, Barpeta; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** fake encounter extrajudicial killing
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Officers (gated display forms):** Deputy Superintendent of Police, Barpeta, Assam Police; Sub-Inspector, Barpeta, Assam Police; Sub-Inspector (in charge, Bhabanipur OP), Bhabanipur OP, Barpeta; Constable, Barpeta, Assam Police (4 in record)
**Victims:** Bar Tapa man, age 27 (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 1 lakh (Rs 1,00,000)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

The Gauhati High Court held that a Bar Tapa man, though an admitted hardcore ULFA member, was killed by Assam Police personnel in a cold-blooded manner at Bar Tapa on 3 June 1995 rather than in genuine cross-firing. Agreeing with the Barpeta District Judge's enquiry, the court found no bona fide attempt to apprehend him alive though ample opportunity existed, with disproportionate retaliatory fire from 3 to 5 feet. It held the police wanted to eliminate him, shattering the rule of law. The court awarded Rs 1 lakh compensation to his mother for breach of Article 21, payable within three months. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> there was no bona fide attempt to apprehend a Bar Tapa man but he was killed by the police personnels in a cold blooded manner.

**Sources (1):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1039850/)
**Verification:** V2 · Externally reported
**Review:** Solo Staff combined review (one combined attestation) — not yet recorded
**admin category:** brutality
**admin subcategory:** fake_encounter_extrajudicial_killing
**allegations:** {'category': 'Other', 'primary': True, 'position': 'Material fact supported', 'position_explainer': 'Reliable material supports a specifically documented fact relevant to that allegation, not necessarily the full allegation, causation, intent, unlawfulness, or responsibility.', 'official_finding_relation': 'supports allegation'}
**anonymised:** False
**court quote para:** 6
**display title redacted:** Bar Tapa Woman vs State of Assam and Others
**followup history:** {'date': '2026-09-19', 'scope': 'Round-8 full re-verification: published record re-checked against the judgment text (outcome, officers, quote, key facts) plus methodology-compliance pass', 'method': 'skills-guided adversarial re-verification of the published record against the judgment text (reverify/t1-*/adversarial-8.jsonl)', 'result': 'holds', 'corrections_applied': \[\]}
**followup status:** checked
**institutional response:** {'date': '1996-06-12', 'action_type': 'Order issued', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Gauhati High Court', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The Gauhati High Court recorded adverse findings against police personnel and ordered Rs 100,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': '1997 CriLJ 874', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1039850/', 'link_checked': None}
**retracted:** {"is_retracted": false}
**service:** police
**source assessment:** {"established": null, "basis": null}
**status:** current
**subcategory display:** fake encounter extrajudicial killing
**tier:** Tier A — Externally reported or officially recorded
**tier badge:** Externally reported
**tier history:** Tier A — Externally reported or officially recorded
**verdict:** accept
**verdict note:** Gauhati HC holds police shot alleged ULFA man in cold blood at Bar Tapa; Rs 1 lakh to mother.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

[Open CW-1996-0005](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1996-0005)