WHAT SHOPIAN REVEALS

Kashmir Watch, June 17 By A. G. NOORANI A young girl was gang raped by three men in Surat recently. The city was plunged in turmoil. A bandh was declared on 15 June yet the anger continued to simmer. In Shopian two young women were gang raped near the camps of the Police and security forces by personnel belonging to them, as the circumstantial evidence and desperate attempts at a cover-up clearly suggested. And they were murdered. How would we have reacted if the Chief Minister had instantly given a false explanation and then retracted under public pressure. This is what Kashmir’s Chief Minister Omar Abdullah did. He needed prodding by the Centre even to order registration of an FIR. Its people yearn for a Chief Minister who would stand up to the security forces on their behalf. In the first test of his capacity and calibre since he came to office as CM only a few months ago, Omar Abdullah has revealed that he will follow the tradition firmly established by his father, Farooq Abdullah. Shopian will join Bijbehera and other such gory incidents in the last two decades of Kashmir’s history; if not earlier. Kashmir is alienated from the Union of India. If its people are to be won over, not just the Indian State, but India’s civil society must reach out to its people and assure them that we shall strive to see that they also enjoy the benefits of India’s secularism and democracy. The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has striven valiantly in the cause and far more than any of his predecessors, Atal Behari Vajpayee included. He faced obstruction from the Home Ministry headed by the incompetent Shivraj Patil and bureaucrats in the Ministry. Therein lies the tragedy of Omar Abdullah’s lapse. He ascended, he could have played the role of a bridge-builder, unlike Farooq Abdullah whose sole concern has been the loaves and fishes of public office; just any office. The tragic aspect apart, the gravity of Omar Abdullah’s lapse testifies to a mindset which cannot be concealed behind his florid rhetoric. The record speaks for itself. On 29 May, Aasiya Jan (17) and her pregnant sister-in-law Neelofar Jan (24) went into their orchard at Degam, Batpora, across the Rambiara nullah, around 5 p.m. Neelofar’s husband, Shakeel Ahmed Ahangar told the press : “When they didn’t return till late in the evening, I went out to search them. I could not find them any where and a neighbour told me that the duo had left for home just when a patrolling party was passing through the area. I then approached the police. At 10 p.m., I along with a police party led by the station house officer, went out in search of Neelofar and Aasiya but couldn’t locate them till 3 a.m. after which we returned.” On 30 May at 5 a.m., Shakeel said, he along with the police again went in search of the duo. “I saw Neelorfar’s body in the nullah and Aasiya’s body one kilometer away from her,” not far from a CRPF camp. Indeed the bodies were within the range of the lights of the CRPF and police camps. The road to the orchard goes past these camps which are visible from the spot where Nilofar’s body was found. It is a high security area patrolled regularly by the police as the Dy. Commissioner and other officials live there. The Minister for Rural Development and Panchayats Ali Muhammed Sagar promised on 30 May that the truth would be out within 48 hours. But a press release issued by the police that day said “Post-mortem conducted revealed no marks on the dead bodies including private parts”. After some time, another police press release cancelled it but without admitting to any wrong doing. Only on 7 June did third press release say : a “prima facie cognizable offence has taken place and a case has been registered”, but medical opinion on the cause of death was awaited. Desperate attempts was made to show that the rapists were not murderers. On 6 June a Forensic Science Laboratory report had confirmed presence of sperm in the vaginal smears of both women. It was in this context that on 1 June Omar Abdullah called it “a case of drowning”. The nullah or stream only has ankle deep water. He added “The initial findings do not suggest either rape or murder, but now we want to get it cleared beyond doubt”. There was ample reason for him not to accept the police version on 1 June. There was its retraction of a press note two days earlier; the state of the stream which ruled out drowning and the revelation of a suspicious circumstance on 31 May � till the evening of 29 May tents of Gujjar nomads and their flocks had existed for months on the spot. They had vanished by 2.30 a.m. on 30 May. Shakeel Ahangar came to know the reason � they had heard the shrieks screams of the women and were forced to vacate. Amazingly the police did not detect the movement of those who brought the bodies between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. on 30 May. Nilofar’s father Syed Abdul Hai disclosed that as doctors started the post-mortem on 30 May, they waited outside only to find the Shopian S.P. Javaid Iqbal Mattoo barging in. They did not come out “for a long time” and were told that the doctors and the SP had escaped from the window. “As we entered the room we fund them missing. There was found a hand-written report which claimed the rape charge as negative. We got furious.” (Kashmir Times, 1 June). Mattoo has since been transferred; not suspended. It was only on 4 June that the Chief Minister admitted grudgingly “something has happened there”. He claimed “Nilofar and Asiya were like my sisters”. That awareness was absent on 1 June. He decided to set up a judicial inquiry. The established norm is to ask the CJI to nominate the judge. The excuse he gave for not following this course and nominating instead a hand-picked retired High Court Judge testifies to lack of sincerity. “Supreme Court sanction would have taken at least two months to arrive”. This is untrue and a slur on the CJI Justice K. G. Balakrishnan. Justice Muzaffar Jan inspires little confidence. On 6 June the former Union Minister Saifuddin Soz was summoned by the UPA’s Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and asked to go to Srinagar. Subhajit Roy of Indian Express summed it up neatly : “Under pressure, the J&K Government late on Sunday night (7 June) registered a rape case”. Soz revealed that he had “explained” to Omar that “the Police should lodge an FIR in the death of the two women”. The FIR on murder was filed on 10 June, three days later. It was a series of inexplicable actions � instant exoneration, even an FIR only at the Centre’s behest a whole week after the crime, and a hand-picked judge. Add to it the absurd rhetoric and you get a sorry image. It is no secret that the Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram visited the State against the wishes of the CM and his father. He did not promise much “We would like to take small, baby steps one by one and no great leap in Kashmir” he said in Srinagar on 11 June. The local police will be brought to the fore. The Army Chief Gen. Deepak Kapoor dampened hopes for troop reductions despite the fall in militancy. Sanjay Kak aptly remarked, the people do not care what uniform “the oppressive figure of the soldier” wears. The real issue is “the extraordinary and intolerable militarization of Kashmir”. Chidambaram was close to the mark when he remarked “These problems require a political solution. .. We have to engage everyone in a dialogue.” A. G. NOORANI, is an advocate, Supreme Court of India and a leading Constitutional exper What Shopian Reveals By A G Noorani

MOURNERS ASSAULTED, 20 INJURED IN CLASHES

 

Aloochibagh Killing

GOWHAR BHAT


Srinagar, May 19: A day after a civilian, Manzoor Ahmed Beg was allegedly killed in the custody of the Special Operations Group of J&K Police, massive protests rocked Aloocha Bagh. Police and CRPF troops used force on the protesters and even assaulted the mourners.
Hundreds of men and women took to streets and demanded action against the SOG men involved in the killing, blocking traffic on the Airport Road. A huge deployment of police swung into action and cane charged the protesters, who offered resistance and pelted stones on the cops. Police resorted to aerial firing and fired tear smoke canisters on the civilians.
Police also assaulted the mourners sitting inside a tent, which resulted in commotion. All shops and businesses remained closed in the area while traffic movement was also affected due to the clashes.
Youths also held protests at Maisuma against the killing where police swung into action to disperse the protesters.
Several delegations of separatist leaders, including Shakeel Bakshi, Javaid Mir, Shahid-ul-Islam visited Beg’s residence to sympathise with the bereaved family. They termed the killing as “barbaric and an act of terrorism.”
The deputy commissioner has already ordered a probe into the killing and appointed additional deputy commissioner, M Y Zargar, as inquiry officer. He has been asked to submit his report within a week.

SOG officer sacked

GK NEWS NETWORK

Srinagar, May 19:The government on Tuesday placed under suspension the police inspector posted at the SOG Cargo camp here, in connection with the “custodial killing” of Manzoor Ahmed Beg, sources said.
“The inspector was suspended after preliminary investigations,” they said, adding, that Beg, a second-hand car dealer, had been summoned by the accused officer to SOG camp as he owed Rs 40,000 to some persons who had sought SOG’s intervention to realize the money. “After being summoned Beg was tortured to death in custody,” they added.
They said that investigations revealed that two unidentified persons had taken the victim to a private nursing home. However, doctors there refused to admit him (Beg). Later, the duo hired an auto and shifted him to the SMHS hospital and fled from the spot.
Police had arrested the auto driver who had shifted the deceased to the hospital. He was released after questioning.
Meanwhile, Police today arrested three persons in connection with the case. “The main accused is still absconding,” sources added.

Geelani, Malik under house arrest

Condemn 'Custodial' Killing

GK NEWS NETWORK

Srinagar, May 19: The Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman, Syed Ali Geelani, and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chairman, Muhammad Yasin Malik, were put under house arrest on Tuesday to prevent them from visiting the residence of Manzoor Ahmad Beg, who was killed in custody allegedly by the personnel of Special Operations Group of Police on Monday.
A Hurriyat spokesman said that Geelani was put under house arrest at his uptown residence in Hyderpora last evening after he retuned home from Budgam. Geelani intended to offer Beg’s Nimaz-e-Jinazah and visit his family. “But he has been put under house arrest,” he added.
Condemning Beg’s “custodial killing,” Geelani, in a statement, said, that Jammu and Kashmir had become a “police state where SOG and policemen were killing people at will.”
Meanwhile, the JLKF chairman, Muhammad Yasin Malik, was also put under house arrest on Monday, a JKLF spokesman said in a statement today.
He said that policemen cordoned off Malik’s Maisuma residence last evening and informed him that he couldn’t move out.
He said a delegation of the JKLF activists led by Showkat Ahmed Bakshi, visited the residence of Manzoor Ahmed Beg and expressed solidarity with the bereaved family.
He termed Beg’s killing as “a glaring instance of state sponsored terrorism.”
The spokesman urged the international community and human right organizations to take a serious note of such incidents.

KILLING EVOKES WIDESPREAD CONDEMNATION 

 Meanwhile, killing of Manzoor Ahmad Beg, of Aloochi Bagh here has evoked widespread condemnation from separatist and mainstream parties demanding judicial probe into the incident and exemplary punishment to the killers.
 Expressing serious concern over the custodial killing, the Jamaat-i-Islami Jammu and Kashmir termed it the worst demonstration of state ‘terrorism.’ Praying for the peace to departed soul, the Jama’at expressed solidarity with the bereaved family.  
 Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (R) spokesman while condemning the killing, termed it as worst kind of ‘state terrorism.’
 The Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association while condemning the killing, said that it had taken strong note of the torture that the victim had been subjected. “We demand immediate action against the SP SOG Srinagar.”
 The Bar demanded that the accused should be booked under the Sec 302 of RPC for murder and demanded the Police station Shergari register an FIR against the accused.
 Condemning the killing, the Jammu Kashmir Salvation Movement (JKSM) chairman Zaffar Akbar Bhat demanded impartial probe into it. 
 Meanwhile, a delegation of JKSM led by Zaffar visited the residence of deceased. 
 The Democratic Liberation Party chairman, Hashim Qureshi, while condemning the killing, demanded punishment to the killers. 
 The Democratic Political Movement chairman, Firdous Ahmad Shah, while condemning the killing, demanded impartial probe.  
 The Peoples’ Political Party chairman, Hilal Ahmad War, while condemning the killing, termed it as the most serious human rights violation. 
 “Such heinous crimes have exposed the Indian rulers of their claims of democracy,” said War, according to PPP spokesman.  
 The convener of Hurriyat Conference (G), Pakistan administered Kashmir (PaK), Muhammad Farooq Rehmani, has strongly condemned the killing and demanded judicial probe into it.
 Protesting the killing, the Muslim Khawateen Markaz termed it as highly reprehensible.  
 The Mahaz-e-Aazadi president, Mir Muhammad Iqbal has expressed serious concern over the killing, terming it as the worst example of ‘state terrorism’. Mir demanded impartial probe into it.
 Condemning the killing, the Peoples’ Democratic Party demanded impartial probe into it, warning that such inhuman incidents were unacceptable for any civilized society.
 In a statement today, a PDP spokesman said, “Until an impartial probe is conducted, victim’s family should be given ex-gratia relief and benefits under SRO-43. 
 The National Conference senior leader and MLA Amira Kadal constituency, Nasir Sogami, condemned the killing and demanded immediate probe into it. He expressed sympathies with the bereaved family and demanded ex-gratia relief for them.
 Terming the killing as highly condemnable, the Jammu Kashmir CPI (M) state secretary, M Y Tarigami urged the government to bring the culprits to the justice.

Custodial Killing

Alucha Bagh still tense 

Protesters fight pitched battles with cops

Rising Kashmir News
Srinagar, May 20: Alucha Bagh continued to remain tense on Wednesday over the custodial killing of a resident of the area Manzoor Ahmed Beigh by Special Operations Group of Police and people fought pitched battles with policemen through out the day. Clashes also erupted in Batamaloo area in the evening and police fired dozens of tear smoke canisters to stop the protestors from marching.
Alucha Bagh remained tense for the third straight day today as clashes between protestors and police continued throughout the day with the people in Batamaloo area also joining late in the evening. 
Trooper killed in scuffle
Meanwhile, in a scuffle amongst themselves, an army man was killed while another injured in Mathiali Gala area of Rajouri after their colleague opened fire at them.
The scuffle broke out in the 63 RR camp between Army men of 13 JAKLI wherein a rifleman Kuldeep Raj opened indiscriminate fire at two of his colleagues. Major Ramwarakesh Yadav of Bihar was found dead and Sudharshan of Pune critically injured.
The trooper who fired at his colleagues later fled from the spot.
VDC member commits suicide
In Kishtwar, a Village Defence Committee personnel committed suicide by shooting himself. 
The CDC member Jafaram son of Haem Raj shot himself by his service rifle which resulted in his on the spot death.

Custodial Death

15 hurt in Alucha Bagh, Maisuma clashes

Rising Kashmir News
Srinagar, May 19: At least 15 protestors were injured in police action at Alucha Bagh and Maisuma on Tuesday when people came out roads to protest against the alleged custodial death of a 40-year old civilian.
On Monday, father of three Manzoor Ahmad Beigh son of late Abdul Ahad Beigh of Beigh Mohalla, Alucha Bagh was picked up by SOG personnel and later shifted to SMHS hospital, where he was declared “brought dead”. 
The incident has evoked resentment from the locals, who are demanding action against the SOG personnel involved in the killing. 
For the second day in succession, hundreds of youth took to roads at Alucha Bagh and staged anti-SOG demonstrations. Raising pro-freedom, anti-India and anti-SOG slogans, the protesting youth were demanding action against the guilty SOG personnel. The police and CRPF personnel, who were deployed in strength in the area fired tear smoke shells and resorted to baton charge to disperse the agitating people. At least eight persons suffered minor injuries during the clashes, which continued for few hours.  
During the clashes, the vehicular movement on the main road was disrupted.
The youth also took to roads at Maisuma to protest against the killings. The protestors tried to stage a rally but were intercepted by cops, who fired tear smoke shells and resorted to heavy baton charge to disperse the agitating youth. At least seven persons were injured in the ensuing ding dong clashes.
Meanwhile, a delegation of Hurriyat (M) led by Shahidul Islam and Javed Mir visited the residence of deceased at Alucha Bagh. They strongly condemned the killing and demanded end to the human rights violations being committed by troopers in the State. 
Meanwhile, shops and business establishments remained closed in Alucha Bagh, Hari Singh High Street and adjoining area as a mark of protest against the custodial death of Manzoor.

Killing sparks demos in IHK

Srinagar—The killing of Manzoor Ahmad Beg, of Aloochi Bagh here has evoked widespread condemnation from pro-freedom as well as mainstream parties demanding judicial probe into the incident and exemplary punishment to the killers. Expressing grief over the killing of Manzoor Ahmed Beigh of Aluchi Bagh who was a father of three, Chairman of Hurriyat Conference (G) Syed Ali Geelani said: “On one hand State government boasts of safeguarding human rights, on the other they have given relentless powers to troops to kill innocent people.” Geelani said intended to offer Beg’s Nimaz-e-Jinazah and visit his family.

“But he has been put under house arrest,” he added. Geelani that Jammu and Kashmir had become a “police state where SOG and policemen were killing people at will.” Terming the assurance of probe by Deputy Commissioner as ‘deception’, Geelani said: “Such statements are later given to minimize resentment and tension.” Chairman of Hurriyat Conference (M) Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said that government of India continues to indulge in gross human rights violations in Kashmir. 

“Killing innocent people is the real face of Indian democracy,” Mirwaiz said. Terming the killing of Manzoor by SOG as ‘inhumane’, Chairman of JKLF Muhammad Yaseen Malik said: “In addition to this cold blooded murder, the government unleashed shower of batons on the mourners,” Malik said. Expressing serious concern over the custodial killing, the Jamaat-i-Islami Jammu and Kashmir termed it the worst demonstration of state ‘terrorism.’ Praying for the peace to departed soul, the Jama’at expressed solidarity with the bereaved family. 

The Jamaat expressed solidarity with the family of Beigh and appealed international community to rise to the occasion and raise voice against the worst kind of human rights violations occurring in Kashmir. Jammu Kashmir Mass Movement Patron Fareeda Behanji termed the killing of Beigh as “state-sponsored terrorism”. Behanji said that such killings fall under the plan of genocide which India started in 1989. 

“For the genocide of Kashmiri people National Conference Patron Farooq Abdullah introduced SOG in Kashmir,” she said. Party’s General Secretary Mudasir Maqbool led a protest rally in Aluchi Bagh which was dispersed after police resorted to heavy baton charging of protesters. Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (R) spokesman while condemning the killing, termed it as worst kind of ‘state terrorism.’ The Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association while condemning the killing, said that it had taken strong note of the torture that the victim had been subjected. “We demand immediate action against the SP SOG Srinagar.” 

The Bar demanded that the accused should be booked under the Sec 302 of RPC for murder and demanded the Police station Shergari register an FIR against the accused. Condemning the killing, the Jammu Kashmir Salvation Movement (JKSM) chairman Zaffar Akbar Bhat demanded impartial probe into it. Meanwhile, a delegation of JKSM led by Zaffar visited the residence of deceased. The Democratic Liberation Party chairman, Hashim Qureshi, while condemning the killing, demanded punishment to the killers. The Democratic Political Movement chairman, Firdous Ahmad Shah, while condemning the killing, demanded impartial probe.

The Peoples’ Political Party chairman, Hilal Ahmad War, while condemning the killing, termed it as the most serious human rights violation.—NNI