It has long been known that of those shot dead by police, ethnic Indians made up a disproportionate number of the fatalities. Based on the recently released statistics by the police, that is true.

But for the first time, details such as the age, ethnicity and nationality of almost all 279 people - citizens as well as foreign nationals - who have been killed by the police from 2000 to 2009 were today revealed by human rights groups.