Security lapse




Cop hurls shoe on CM at stadium, 15 suspended
Shoe-thrower critical at SKIMS after severe beating by SSG; Govt suspects politician’s hand

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Aug 15: In a major security lapse, a suspended head constable of Jammu & Kashmir Police today attacked Chief Minister Omar Abdullah with his shoes on occasion of the ceremonial Independence Day parade at Bakhshi Memorial Sports Stadium. The shoe-thrower, who had managed to take seat among senior IAS and IPS officers in the VIP gallery, was captured and mercilessly beaten which led to his admission at SKIMS. Fifteen security officials of lower ranks have been placed under suspension even as the investigation into the security lapse is underway and Police claimed that the head constable of “criminal and dubious background” had revealed how a mainstream politician had facilitated his entry into the VIP gallery.

Eyewitnesses told Early Times that an I-Day ceremony guest, seated in 4th row of the VIP gallery in the Central Pavilion of Bakhshi Stadium, took out his shoe and hurled it on Chief Minister when Mr Omar Abdullah just reached the podium and began unfurling the Tricolour at 10.15 a.m. today. It, however, missed the intended target as well as Director General of Police, Kuldeep Khoda, who was at the ceremonial ritual beside chief guest and Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah. Thereupon the man in militant mood loudly shouted the slogan: “Weeee waaant freedom”. He was found to have reached the VIP pavilion alongwith a black piece of cloth which he perhaps intended to hoist to mark his anger---frustration, according to officials---against the Indian control over Jammu & Kashmir.

Even as the SSG personnel guarding the Chief Minister removed the shoe, part of police uniform, quickly with their feet in an attempt to hide it and play down the spectacle, DIG JP Singh, who was seated in the 5th row, jumped on the man and captured him before he could throw his next shoe. He was handed over to SSG personnel who immediately whisked him away to an undisclosed destination.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah sought to play down the attack, first of its kind in Jammu & Kashmir. In his speech after concluding his salute and inspection of the ceremonial parade, he said that it was a benign form of protest and not harmful like stones. Nevertheless, his security guards mercilessly beat up the man to the extent that he began vomiting blood. Informed sources revealed to this newspaper that the shoe-thrower was rushed to Police Hospital where doctors examined him and referred him to SKIMS, Soura. He was identified as head constable Abdul Ahad Jan S/o Mohammad Dillawar Jan R/o Ajas Bandipore, presently posted in District Police Kulgam but under suspension since May this year.

Medical Superintendent at SKIMS, Dr Syed Amin Tabish, told Early Times late tonight that 50-year-old Abdul Ahad Jan was admitted to Accidents & Emergency Department of his hospital at 7.15 p.m. as a patient of accelerated hypertension. He said that there were no torture marks on his body and the patient was improving after necessary medical treatment. Yet another source at SKIMS, who examined Jan, said that his blood pressure was as high as 210/140 at the time of his observation on admission which ultimately came down to 170/130 at 10.00 p.m.

Sources said that Jan was under interrogation of a specially constituted team consisting of Dy SP, Sanjay Raina, of SOG Srinagar besides men from Security Wing and Intelligence Bureau. They said that the interrogators had failed to extort anything from Jan till late this evening as he was not in a position to make any statement and doctors had also advised against putting him under any further stress.

However, a statement issued from zonal headquarters of Kashmir Police said that Jan had revealed a mainstream politician’s involvement in facilitating his entry into the stadium and the VIP pavilion.

“During preliminary interrogation the suspended head constable Abdul Ahad Jan, who had hurled a shoe at the independence day function at Srinagar, revealed that he was approached by a political party leader. He also revealed that he used entry pass of the political party leader to gain entry into the venue”, read the Police statement issued late tonight.

“As has been reported earlier, Abdul Ahad Jan s/o Dillawar Jan r/o Ajas District Bandipora, a suspended Head Constable is reportedly mentally unsound and facing charges in a criminal case under FIR No:123 dated: May 21st 2010 registered against him in Police Station Parimpora. He was arrested by Parimpora Police in this case and was later bailed out by the Court. He was suspended for his criminal activities vide Kulgam Police order No: 360 dated: May 22, 2010.The suspended head Constable was earlier arrested in a robbery case registered in police station Shergarhi, Srinagar in 2008.He has been under continuous psychiatric treatment in psychiatric hospital as well as with private doctors”, it added.

Officials did not identify the politician, who, according to them, had been named by Jan. Sources, however, said that Police were concentrating on one of the PDP’s MLAs from North Kashmir. These sources said that as many as five criminal FIRs were found registered against Jan at Police Stations of Parimpora, Saddar, Shergarhi and Pantachowk in Srinagar besides one in Police Station Kulgam. Sources said that forgery of documents related to one of his relative’s ex-gratia case had led to registration of an FIR against Jan at Police Station Parimpora earlier this year.

He had been promoted to the rank of ASI but later reverted to the rank of head constable following his involvement in a criminal matter in Kulgam where he stood suspended and attached to District Police Lines.

Inquiries revealed that Jan was among a group of Police officials who had evacuated then DGP, J N Saxena, when a powerful IED blast had badly damaged Police Headquarters in Srinagar on January 25th in 1992. Later, then IGP late Mr Amar Kapoor had recommended four constables for out-of-turn promotion. Jan also staked his claim but was not included. He was later alleged to have fraudulently inserted his name into the list which was detected and he was placed under suspension. He also approached court of law and got some relief but the orders were not implemented for years.

Meanwhile, his son, Showkat Ahmed Jan, worked as an active militant with Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Toiba. He was later arrested and released following which he has been operating as a shopkeeper in his village.

Highly placed officials admitted that today’s incident of shoe-throwing on CM was a major security lapse. They said that 15 officials of Security Wing of J&K Police had been immediately placed under suspension. They included two Sub Inspectors. It was being investigated as to how the suspended head constable managed to reach VIP pavilion and take a seat well among the senior IAS and IPS officers, including a number of Principal Secretaries, Commissioner-Secretaries, IGPs, DIGs and senior legislators and politicians.

Eyewitnesses said that Jan was escorted by officials on duty to a seat actually reserved for senior IAS officer, Tashi Dorjay. He first sat in the left of Director Hospitality & Protocol Mr Jamwal and later shifted to his right seat. Middle rung officials from General Administration Department, Divisional Commissioner’s office, besides Security Wing were on duty for proper seating of the VIP guests while a number of spotters in mufti were also on duty from CID.

Early Times learned that IGP Security Ram Lubhaya was presently in Leh, making security arrangements alongwith SPG for the visit of Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and MoS Defence on August 16th and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on August 17th. There was also no DIG posted in security wing after Mr Shafqat Wattali was transferred as DIG South Kashmir last month. Hence the senior most official looking after security at the I-Day venue was SSP Security, Rafeeq-ul-Hassan.

Meanwhile, Dukhtaraan-e-Millat Chairperson, Asiya Andrabi has announced “gallantry award” for Jan and described him as a “great freedom fighter”. In her statement, she claimed that “many of such freedom fighters” had infiltrated into different ranks of the government. She ridiculed DGP Kuldeep Khoda’s description about Jan and asked the Police chief how a “mad man” had managed to reach the VIP pavilion.

Reports from Bandipore said that around 1500 people from several villages gathered at Jan’s residence immediately after learning about his attack on CM and hailed him as a hero. They enthusiastically shouted slogans: “Teri Jan, Meri Jan, Ahad Jan, Ahad Jan”.

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