CM insisting on arrest of Col Pathania, Maj Bhupinder Singh

2 ‘militants’ killed in Tangdhar may also surface as civilians

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, May 29: Even as Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is understood to be seeking the arrest of senior officials of 4-Rajput involved in the gruesome killing of three civilians in a fake encounter in Kupwara district, two ‘militants’ killed by troops of 11-Jat in Tangdhar last week are also likely to surface as innocent civilians. Meanwhile, burial of the three civilians of Rafiabad area, who had been killed in the Machhil fake encounter on April 30th, today took place amid pro-Azadi demonstrations and clashes in which over a dozen people sustained injuries.

Highly placed authoritative sources told Early Times that in apprehension of a fresh turbulence by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party and the Valley’s separatist camp, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was putting his foot down to ensure the arrest of senior 4-Rajput officials involved in the Machhil fake encounter in which three innocent civilians had been killed and labeled as “infiltrating militants” on April 30th this year. Officials, whose arrest by J&K Police is being sought at the level of union Defence Ministry, include the main accused Maj Bhupinder Singh and Commanding Officer, Col DK Pathania, who have moved out last week and settled with their battalion in Meerath.

According to these sources, Chief Minister is understood to have discussed the Machhil fake encounter briefly with the UPA Chairperson in a one-on-one meeting with her in Jammu today. He is likely to persuade the arrest of the delinquent officials, on the pattern of a BSF Commandant’s arrest in the infamous Zahid Farooq killing, with the Defence Minister AK Anthony in the Union capital on Monday. In a statement, Anthony has today itself indicated that nobody would be spared if found guilty.

Meanwhile, well-placed official sources in north Kashmir, said that the two “unidentified militants” killed in “encounter” by troops of 11-Jat on a spot close to LoC in Tangdhar, in Kupwara district, on May 25th, were also likely to surface as innocent civilians. Their features, much like those killed in the fake encounter in Machhil, are said to be “not of infiltrators”. Kupwara Police have immediately acquired photographs of the two dead bodies and these were being scanned carefully with the help of counter-insurgency experts. Authorities are said to be considering the suggestion of publishing these photographers in local newspapers which, according to them, might help in the identification.

Reports from north Kashmir said that dead bodies of the three Rafiabad civilians, exhumed at Kalaroos on Friday, were buried at the local graveyard in Nadihal village amid massive anti-India and pro-Azadi demonstrations. While independent reports said that more than 7,000 people participated in a funeral rally and the burial, officials put the number of participants at around 4,000 to 5,000. Sources said that the demonstrators made repeated attempts to carry the dead bodies in a procession to the district headquarters of Baramulla but Police foiled their plans of staging a big show. Sources said that over a dozen civilians and Police personnel sustained injuries in these intermittent clashes.

DC Baramulla, Bashir Ahmed Bhat, and SP Sopore, Altaf Khan, were personally monitoring the situation in Nadihal area.

Sources said that late last night hundreds of outraged residents of Nadihal swooped on the residential house of the counter-insurgent, Bashir Ahmed Lone, involved in the killing of three civilians, and demolished it brick-by-brick before setting the structure and debris on fire. It perished fully. While Bashir Lone has been already arrested by Police and his SPO brother, Qayoom, was taken into preventive custody and questioning today, all other family members have escaped to unknown places.

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