First custodial killing of Omar Govt happens in Geelani’s Sopore

·        Omar on Twitter: Inexcusable human rights violation

·        Murder case filed, Dy SP attached, 3 cops placed under suspension

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Jul 31: Thirty-one-month-old Omar Abdullah government’s first custodial killing has occurred in the separatist hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s hometown of Sopore in north Kashmir. Twenty-five-year-old shopkeeper’s death has led to minor street demonstrations in the apple-rich town, besides “house arrest” of a number of separatist and mainstream political leaders in Srinagar even as the government has registered a murder case against Police, a Dy SP has been attached and three more personnel have been placed under suspension.

Informed sources told Early Times that a unit of Special Operations Group (SOG) had picked up a young grocer, Nazim Rashid Shala alias Anjum---lonely son of a retired Police Sub Inspector Abdul Rashid Shala---from his locality of Krankshivan Colony of Sopore in the afternoon on Saturday. Reportedly wanted in the investigation of the killing of one Mohammad Ashraf Dar, who was gunned down by suspected militants near his home at Naseembagh, Sopore, on July 27^th evening, Nazim was detained and subjected to custodial interrogation. In the wee hours today, he breathed his last in custody of SOG Sopore.

Apprehending anti-Police and anti-Government demonstrations, included violent clashes at several places, authorities in the morning sounded an alert throughout the Valley. After the pause of calm for nearly eight months, Police and CRPF personnel carrying batons, shields and tearsmoke canisters, were spotted in movement at several places in this capital city and other major towns in the Valley. People at large, however, remained indifferent to the news of first killing by Police after September 13^th, 2010.

Even as the wave of unrest remained restricted to just a part of Sopore town and it did not engulf the Valley, authorities forced home confinement of a number of separatist leaders, including heads of both factions of the Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Syed Ali Shah Geelani. Sources said that Police also locked the main entrance of the PDP President Mehbooba Mufti’s official premises at Gupkar Road and thus prevented her from proceeding to Sopore.

Reports from Sopore said that traffic and commercial establishments functioned normally in Sopore. However, shops were seen shut in Krankshivan Colony. Scores of people in Krankshivan Colony and its adjoining peripheries staged anti-Government, anti-Police, anti-India and pro-Azadi demonstration while shouting slogans and demanding immediate arrest and termination of the services of the Police personnel responsible for the youth’s custodial killing. Police resorted to baton charge and tearsmoke to disperse the angry crowds. This led to stone pelting and clashes between demonstrators and Police, though not largescale.

Reports said that at least six demonstrators and Police and paramilitary personnel sustained minor injuries in the clashes. According to reports, trouble did not spread to other areas because of heavy deployment of Police and CRPF. Severe restrictions on movement were not enforced. Reports said that the dead body was handed over to the family in the evening but the family members and other residents declined to conduct the funeral.

It was at around 2130 hours that the family relented and the funeral rites were conducted. Reports said that the youth was buried in a local graveyard. MoS Home Nasir Aslam Wani and DGP, Kuldeep Khoda, drove to Sopore at 2200 hours tonight. Police and civil administration were trying to ferry members of the bereaved family and some senior citizens for a meeting with MoS Home and DGP at a private Education college at Lalad, in Sopore outskirts, when this story was filed at 2300 hours. Sources told Early Times that influential citizens like Inayatullah Hajini, Ghulam Nabi Shala and Farooq Ahmed Hakeem attended the meeting with MoS Home, DGP, IGP, DIG and DC Baramulla but Nazim Rashid’s father refused to meet the government team.

Authoritative sources said that, earlier today, on the instructions from Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and MoS Home, Nasir Aslam Wani, Police Station of Sopore registered a murder case against SOG personnel under section 302 of Ranbir Penal Code. Dy SP of SOG Sopore, Ashiq Hussain Tak, was attached and three more personnel were placed under suspension. They included incharge of the component, incharge of guard and a sentry. Under orders from the government, Deputy Commissioner of Baramulla, Bashir Ahmed Bhat, would personally conduct an investigation into the circumstances that led to the death of Nazim Rashid Shala in SOG custody.

Block Medical Officer of Sopore conducted the post-mortem alongwith three other doctors. He was expected to submit his detailed report, through CMO Baramulla, to the District Magistrate on Monday. Nazim Rashid is widely believed to have been tortured to death and registration of murder case against SOG has come as an official confirmation. Officials associated with the procedure said that marks of physical torture were tell-tale on the dead body.

Even before availability of the post-mortem report, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah posted on Twitter: “The death of Anjum Rashid in police custody is a gross human rights violation and inexcusable. Things like this cannot be allowed to happen”. He added: “I expect the police to do nothing less than make an example of those responsible so that nothing like this ever happens again. Swift & exemplary action. No delays, no cover ups, no excuses. That’s all I can promise & ensure. It’s not enough, of that too I’m aware”.

Scores of his nearly 40,000 followers on Twitter, however, viewed the government action as an eyewash and stressed on immediate, demonstrable action in the matter. Some of them taunted Omar with inability to deliver.

Sources revealed that Police and security forces arrested Nazim Rashid Shala after his name figured “as the person who had called three civilians out before they were separately shot dead by unidentified militants in Sopore town in the last one month”. Sources said that his identification became available with the help of Police sources and technical corroboration in the afternoon on Saturday.

Quoting Nazim’s father, KNS reported that a Major of Army had called Nazim to his camp but he was arrested from his shop when he did not go to the camp. He was later handed over to the local SOG camp wherefrom he called his father, first to bring his cellphone to the camp at 8.00 p.m last evening and then some of his medicines at 9.00 pm. Retired SI, Ab Rashid Shala, according to KNS, was not allowed in and the sentries took custody of the youth’s mobile phone and medicines. Ab Rashid has confirmed that that his son and Mohammad Ashraf Dar were together when the latter was gunned down by unidentified assassins on Wednesday last.

END