CM’s bureaucracy slept over ‘urgent’ relief file for 77 days
Baramulla picks up stones as victim of Police firing dies in helplessness after 7 months

AHMED ALI FAYYAZ

BARAMULLA, Jan 19: A 25-year-old mason, who had become target of security force’s firing while returning to his home after day’s work on 29th June last year, has died in total helplessness as Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s relief failed to reach him for seven months in the wake of conflicting reports of the incident from District Magistrate and Senior Superintendent of Police. While the north Kashmir district headquarters observed shutdown as a mark of protest, groups of the violent youth engaged Police in ding dong clashes that left nearly 25 people, including seven Police personnel, injured.

Doctors at SKIMS Soura, who had performed a surgical operation on Manzoor Ahmed Bhat S/o Ghulam Nabi Bhat R/o Drangbal Baramulla, had observed and accordingly recorded in the discharge summary on 2-7-2009 that the “outer crust of a bullet” had ruptured the youth’s spinal cord. This scientific establishment of the youth having been innocent and fired upon unlawfully by Police or security forces was subsequently corroborated by a Medical Board headed by Chief Medical Officer, Baramulla, Dr Jeelani, which had thoroughly examined Bhat.

On receiving the SKIMS discharge summary, findings of a magisterial inquiry and lastly the Medical Board’s opinion sent to him vide No: M Board/2277 dated 6-10-2009, District Magistrate and Deputy Commissioner of Baramulla, Lateef-uz-Zamaan Dewa, had categorically rejected SSP Baramulla Viplab Kumar’s report and sought financial assistance of Rs one Lakh for the injured youth’s treatment from Chief Minister through General Administration Department (GAD).

In his detailed letter No: DCB/R/385 dated 3-11-2009, DC Baramulla had written to Commissioner-Secretary GAD, Basharat Ahmed Dhar, and Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Khursheed Ahmed Ganai, that Bhat was completely innocent and he had been unlawfully fired upon by Police and security forces. He had described the injured youth as a “living dead body”, explained how his 75-year-old father was living in abject penury and sought special financial assistance of Rs 1.00 Lakh from the Chief Minister’s discretionary grants for the youth’s treatment as also compassionate appointment for his wife. Neither of the two came forth from the Civil Secretariat in Jammu in the last 77 days as Bhat died at his home here last night.

Bhat’s death in total helplessness has now exposed how officials in the “era of accountability” have been continuously sleeping over the files involving matters of life and death of the subjects of the coalition government. This all, notwithstanding Chief Minister’s repeatedly emphasized instructions that victims of the Police and security forces’ excessive use of force at Baramulla on June 29, 2009, be given “an extraordinary treatment” in providing them relief and other ex gratia support from his Government.

“I had brought up Manzoor with the common parental hope of helping me in old age. After working for the whole day (on June 29th, 2009) at Khanpora, he was crossing Drum Bridge to reach back to his home. Far away on the Cement Bridge, there was a clash between demonstrators and Police. Someone from the forces fired upon my son. He was operated upon and later discharged with permanent disability. Whatever we had, we spent on his treatment. DC sahib assured us that entire expenditure on the treatment would come from Chief Minister. Nothing came till Manzoor died last night”, bereaved Ghulam Nabi Bhat said after the funeral of his son.

DC Baramulla, Lateef-uz-Zamaan Dewa, confirmed to Early Times that Manzoor Ahmed Bhat, according to a magisterial inquiry, had been unlawfully fired upon by Police or CRPF even as he was never part of any procession or demonstration at the disturbed town on June 29th, 2009. He revealed that Police had “routinely” described Bhat as a participant in the riots and refused to issue non-involvement certificate in his favour. “After an investigation, I had reasons to believe that Bhat was an innocent youth who had been fired upon without any reason and provocation. I, accordingly, rejected Police version of the incident and sought financial assistance of Rs one Lakh for his treatment, besides compassionate appointment of his wife in relaxation of rules (Qualification Bar)”, DC Baramulla said. He confirmed that there was no response from Civil Secretariat in Jammu in the last 77 days.

A detailed investigation by this newspaper found that over a call of protest from separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani on the alleged rape-cum-murder of two young women in Shopian, Baramulla witnessed ding dong clashes between Police/CRPF and groups of demonstrators on June 29, 2009. These intensified after the Friday prayers concluded at a couple of mosques in old town of Baramulla across river Jhelum. Two hours later, when the demonstrators had thinned out and there was lesser tension in the town, Manzoor Ahmed Bhat was hit in his back on a makeshift bridge, locally called as Drum Bridge, near the site of an under-construction concrete bridge, some 300 metres from the flashpoint.

In quick response to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s clear-cut instructions, DC Baramulla submitted a relief proposal to GAD and CM’s Secretariat vide No: DCB/PS/LO/364-65 on 4-7-2009, seeking release of ex gratia from his Discretionary Grants. On CM’s personal initiative, DC Baramulla also sought relaxation in rules of compassionate appointment under SRO-43 wherever needed in terms of age and qualification of the next of kin of the victims of firing.

Even as sanction to the monetary support and government jobs was granted in favour of some persons, it remained pending in the matter of Manzoor Ahmed Bhat as Police clubbed him with the rioters and refused to issue a non-involvement certificate in his favour. Later, after a magisterial inquiry established that Bhat was an innocent victim of the forces firing, DC Baramulla sought extension of the ex gratia support to him. In his letter on 3-11-2009, DC Baramulla referred to CM’s special instructions and asked for financial support of Rs one Lakh for Bhat’s treatment and relaxation of qualification bar for his wife Amina’s compassionate appointment.

Disagreeing with Police version, DC Baramulla mentioned that Bhat had been hit by a “stray bullet” when he was returning to home through the far away Drum Bridge after working for the day at the house of Mohammad Subhan Teli of Khanpora for the whole day. He referred to SKIMS discharge summary and Medical Board finding that forces had fired the “outer crust” (metallic case) instead of a bullet on the innocent civilian.

“Mr Bhat has suffered injury in the spinal cord with the result he is confined to bed and can not, in all probability, move about, let alone work, and is therefore totally dependent upon his aged father who, due to poverty, is unable to bear the expenses so far incurred and to be incurred for the treatment of his injured son”, District Magistrate Dewa mentioned in his letter to GAD and CM’s Secretariat, a copy of which is available with Early Times.

“A copy of discharge summary dated 2-7-2009 from SKIMS Soura, Srinagar, and report of Medical Board Baramulla, submitted vide No: M Board/2277 dated 6-10-2009 is enclosed, which establishes beyond doubt that the injured person is a living dead body and a permanent liability for the aged father alongwith his wife and one child.

“The injury was caused by use of outer crust (metallic case) of bullet by the security forces/ Police”, DC recorded in his letter. He added: “Since Honourable Chief Minister had given instructions for rehabilitation of victims of disproportionate use of force by security forces/ Police, therefore this case is also recommended for sanction of relief of Rs one Lakh from Discretionary Grants and approval to the appointment of Mst Amina, wife of the injured, in relaxation of rules (Qualification Bar) for reasons that her husband has been incapacitated totally due to stray bullet of security forces/ Police which hit him while he was crossing Drum Bridge after working at his respective site at Khanpora”.

“…on the basis of my personal verification, the injured person was, at no stage, part of the procession as he had returned after day’s work from Khanpora and could not have been part of a huge violent mob armed with lathis and stones which is alleged to have come out from old town Baramulla towards Mohalla Jadeed. The SSP has been vide this office No: DMB/R/Misc/07/09 dated 1-10-2009 requested to re-verify the case, enabling placement of it before DLSC (District Level Screening Committee)”, DC had recorded in his November 3 letter.

Death of the injured Manzoor Ahmed Bhat last night led to total shutdown and fresh clashes of Baramulla residents with Police as they shouted anti-India, anti-Government and pro-Azadi slogans. Officials said that five to seven persons sustained injuries but independent reports put the number of injured in today’s clashes between 15 and 25. These reports said that the injured included seven Police personnel.

END