Omar challenges CRPF, Orders judicial inquiry Says Non-local - TopicsExpress



          

Omar challenges CRPF, Orders judicial inquiry Says Non-local Person Was Militant; ‘We’ll Have To Prove Who 3 Slain Youth Were’ Shopian Killings Srinagar, Oct 1: Challenging the CRPF version into Shopian killings, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday ordered a judicial probe into the Shopian incident in which four youth were killed in firing by CRPF on September 7. Before announcing the inquiry to be conducted by a retired High Court Judge Omar told the Legislative Assembly that the non-local person who was among the youth killed in the firing was a militant, a stand taken by the JK Police as well. The other three killed persons, Omar said were not connected with militancy. Omar ordered the probe a day after the CRPF stated that all the four slain persons were related to militancy. “I am still not satisfied with the facts. I want all facts but I haven’t got them,” Omar said in his reply to the discussion on the adjournment motion moved by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party. “Two motorcyclists, five people, four killed, one injured. I only know these things. But I am satisfied with the probe by the police so far that he (non-local) was a militant. He was not a Bihari laborer.” Regarding the other three slain youth Omar said the question was to prove their antecedents. “We have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt what they were and the benefit of the law has to go as the law says you are innocent until proven guilty,” Omar said. “Sweet or bitter, we are bound to tell people of Shopian the truth about the incident. If any security force personnel is guilty, he will be punished by the courts and whatever action is possible, will be taken.” On September 9, a police statement said three of the four persons killed in the September 7 firing were civilians. However, it said the “evidences and verification suggested” that fourth “non-local looking person” was a Lashkar-e-Toibamilitant. The three youth were Tauseef Ahmad Bhat of Baba Mohalla Shopian, Muhammad Yousuf Sofi of Durpora, Zainapora, Shopian and Tariq Ahmad Mir of Wukai, Kulgam. On the day the incident took place CRPF claimed that three militants were killed in the encounter in Shopian outside their Gagren camp while police said two “antinational elements” were killed in the incident. Omar said it was being said that the three persons were “associates” of the killed militant. On Monday Special Director General, CRPF, DK Phatak said: “The claims of their (killed persons) innocence are baseless. One among them was a dreaded Pakistani militant while the three youth killed with him were his associates,” Phatak told Srinagar based CNS news agency. “An associate means you know a person. Who were they (the three youth)? It is a big question that has to be found out,” Omar said. While maintaining that there was mishandling of the incident “from one side”, Omar, without naming anybody said the statements issued on the killings on every passing day only turned the matter “worse and murky” to the extent that even if something is found against these men, nobody was going to accept it. “Now, the probe has become compulsory,” he said. "There was a talk right from the beginning that this inquiry needs to be upgraded and I wanted to do it in a proper way. If there would have been no statements, perhaps, we would have come to a conclusion based on the investigations.We have struck the axe at our own feet by issuing these contradictory statements,” he said. Omar said he cannot assure that incident like Gool, Markundal, Kishtwar and Shopian would not happen in future but he would always put his efforts that such incidents don’t repeat themselves. Omar said the Machil and Pathribal fake encounters were the two “failures” of the successive governments in Jammu and Kashmir. “Pathribal happened during the government of Farooq Sahab and Machil happened during my tenure,” he said. Admitting that people do not trust the inquiries ordered by the Government, Omar said there were least examples to show that such cases have been taken to conclusion and justice provided. Omar said while killing of innocent people was condemnable the killings of security forces should also be condoled in the same manner. He said 57 police and security personnel got killed in the militancy related incidents this year. “We should also remember them and express our sympathy and solidarity with their families”, Omar said.
Posted on: Wed, 02 Oct 2013 03:08:39 +0000

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