Qadri Inzamam/Haziq Qadri When the armed struggle in Kashmir was in its early and violent stage, a group of Indian forces headed by the then DSP Uri, S.M. Sahai and Assistant Commandant, Pandey, 46th Battalion Central Reserve Force (CRPF), arrested three persons from Boniyar Baramulla. One of them died in police custody and another was disappeared; leaving the only survivor the sole witness of the whole episode. Samad Saraf, a salesman, used to stay at the house of Lateef Ahmad Khan, a business man, in Boniyar Baramulla. On the night of 14th July, 1990, a joint team of Jammu & Kashmir Police and CRPF entered the house of Lateef Ahmad Khan and started searching the house. Later, after they conducted the search operation, Lateef Ahmad Khan was taken out of the house, tied to a tree and beaten ruthlessly till he fell unconscious. Lateef was accused of having bought some ammunition from a person namely, Rasheed Qureshi. Saraf while recalling the incident says, “S.M.Sahai told me that Lateef had bought some ammunition from Rasheed Qureshi. I told him that his information was false, but they did not listen to me.” According to Saraf,Lateef was later taken away and his family members were locked inside a room. In another room, all the beddings were burnt. “While I was watching Lateef being beaten by the police including Sahai, one of the police personnel asked me whether I had to offer Prayers in mosque. I went to mosque and offered Fajr Prayers. As I returned, I was bundled in a police vehicle where I found Bashir Ahmad Khan, who was also arrested from his house that night. He was blindfolded, but Lateef was not in the vehicle”, Saraf recalls. Both Saraf and Bashir were taken to the ‘Matches factory’-a notorious interrogation centre of CRPF and other security agencies during the armed uprising in 90’s- in Baramulla. Saraf and Bashir were questioned, beaten and then shifted to another room. “At around mid-night, Bashir was taken to another room where he was tortured. As he returned, he was asking for water continuously. His condition was critical. I dropped some water in his mouth and he asked me to put his head on my chest”, Saraf says. “Under the moonshine, that illuminated the room, I saw Bashir’s condition worsening. I asked him to recite Kalima and he agreed. Few minutes later, as his head rested on my chest, he breathed his last.” Later a doctor was called to check Bashir’s condition but he was already dead. On 17th July, his body was recovered from River Jehlum near Chandanwari Uri. After the death of Bashir Ahmad Khan, Samad Saraf was shifted from one place to another for interrogation. “I was taken to ‘Juice factory Baramulla’ and ‘Kralhaar army camp’. They would ask me to name 20 persons who had returned from Pakistan after receiving arms training. I knew nothing. But they kept asking me about the names and tortured me continuously”, Saraf says. After more than two weeks on 31st July, Saraf, blindfolded, was driven to Sheeri market and released. Lateef Ahmad’s family approached S.M.Sahai many times and they were promised his release, but he never returned. On various occasions, Jaswant Singh, Additional Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Counter Intelligence Kashmir (CIK) issued permissions to the family of Lateef Khan to meet with Lateef at various locations. But, he was found nowhere. “I was 11 months old when my father was abducted. I know nothing of him. All I know is that his body has not been found so far”, Lateef’s son, Rafaqat Khan says. Deprived of basic education, Rafaqat now runs a grocery shop in his native village to support his family financially. First Information Report (FIR) 2/1991 u/ s 365 [Kidnapping/Abducting with intent to secretly and wrongfully confine] Ranbir Penal Code, 1989 (RPC) was filed at the Uri Police Station on 6 May 1991. Continuing with the fight for justice, family of Lateef filed a petition before the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir in 1991. “The Government of Jammu and Kashmir denied the arrest of Lateef . On 20 May 1994 a judicial enquiry was ordered, but the case file was only received by the District and Sessions Judge, Baramulla on 12 August 1999. The enquiry conducted by the District and Sessions Judge, Baramulla was concluded on 20 February 2003 which stated that the applicant to produce his evidence. The enquiry report concluded that the allegations had not been proved. Based on this report, the High Court dismissed the petition on 1 April 2003”, family of Lateef says. Earlier the family of Lateef Ahmad Khan had sought to produce their evidence before the judicial enquiry. “But, on the day we went to do so, no evidence was heard and we were told that we would be informed on when to return. But, we were never informed”, they add. Nearly a decade later on 10 October 2009, Sub-Divisional Magistrate Boniyar Uri confirmed that Lateef Khan was killed in army custody and was declared dead as on 2 May, 1998 but the death certificate lists his death as on 10 April 1999. Political Advisor to Chief Minister, Tanveer Sadiq, while commenting on this case said “I have talked to District Magistrate Baramulla and he will send the report of this case in few days.” 23 years after the incident, there is no record of any investigation or probe regarding this case. The main accused in the case, S.M.Sahai was awarded the Director General of Police’s Commendation Medal for 1994, Police Medal for Gallantry in 2004, Sher-e- Kashmir Medal for Gallantry in 2007, Sher-e-Kashmir Medal for Meritorious Service in 2011 and the Presidents Medal for Distinguished Service in 2011. As of present, he serves as Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Armed. When approached ADGP S.M.Sahai regarding this case, he asked for a written questionnaire. After providing him with case details and the questions regarding the case, he refused to comment. “Sahai, since 1990 when he was Dy.S.P., has risen to the rank of Additional DGP only because he delivered for the Indian state in a brutal manner, which has now created his image of harsh cop. This image was created due to his involvement in crimes like disappearances of Lateef Khan and many others human rights violations”, Khurram Parveez, a human rights activist from Kashmir says. “It is our commitment that we will continue to demand prosecution of alleged perpetrators like S. M. Sahai, Kuldeep Khoda, Rashid Billa, Altaf Khan and many others”, he adds. © Copyright The Vox Kashmir. All Rights Reserved 2010-2013 No part of this website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied, modified or adapted, without the prior written consent of the author, unless otherwise indicated for stand-alone
Posted on: Wed, 18 Sep 2013 02:36:20 +0000
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