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2 cops arrested in Sopore

custodial killing

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SP sent Nazim’s confession to DGP at 10:27 pm

Sopore youth owned 2 murders, revealed how he got Ashraf and Jana Mir killed

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Aug 6: Twenty-eight-year-old Nazim Rashid Shala had confessed his involvement in at least two assassinations before he succumbed to physical torture in custody of Special Operations Group (SOG) of Sopore Police on July 31. This had been conveyed by then SP Sopore to Director General of Police by SMS at 10.27 p.m and same is believed to have flown further to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Making first arrests in the custodial killing, Police today took into custody two SOG personnel even as more arrests are likely during the investigation.

Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by DIG North Kashmir Munir Khan, today arrested two policemen allegedly involved in custodial killing of Nazim Rashid Shala. An official handout identified them as selection grade constables Nisar Ahmad (No: 203/Sopore) and Mohammad Abass (No: 243/ Sopore). Case FIR No: 202 /2011, under section 302 RPC, had been filed in police station Sopore when public outcry against the custodial killing threatened to disturb eight-month-long period of peace in Valley.

Well-placed authoritative sources revealed to Early Times that Government was keenly waiting for the magisterial inquiry being conducted by SDM Sopore, Mohammad Ahsan Mir. “Decision with regard to arrest of senior officials could be taken only after submission of his report by SDM”, a senior official said. He, however, had no idea whether action against the Dy SP, Ashiq Hussain Tak, and then SP Sopore, Altaf Khan, would remain restricted to their attachment and transfer, respectively.

Early Times learned from well-placed sources that Police had picked up Nazim Rashid a day after he figured as the man who had called his friend, Mohammad Ashraf Dar, out of his home. Minutes later, unidentified gunmen had shot dead Ashraf Dar on July 28^th. According to sources, Nazim revealed during interrogation on July 30^th that he had helped militants of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba in eliminating Ashraf Dar on July 28^th and another resident of Sopore, namely Shamsuddin alias Jana Mir, a couple of months back.

Nazim’s interrogation report (IR) explains that he had made a phone call to a Major of Rashtriya Rifles 52 Bn and told him that he had heard some gunshots and somebody had been shot dead by militants in his locality. The Major, in turn, called Ashraf and asked him to find as to who had been killed. Meanwhile Nazim called Ashraf and told him that Major had called him about someone’s killing in the locality. Ashraf told Nazim that Major had made a similar call to him. Thereupon, both decided to venture out and see as to who had been killed. Call detail analysis of the cellphones of Nazim, Major and Ashraf makes it clear that all these conversations occurred at least 15 minutes before Ashraf was actually gunned down.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had castigated separatist leaders and their sympathizers over the killing of Ashraf Dar and asked them on his Twitter why they had chosen to be mute to this poor civilian killing.

Since everybody from Chief Minister to Principal Secretary Home to DGP was keen to get a breakthrough in Ashraf Dar’s assassination, SP Sopore, Altaf Khan, informed DGP by SMS that two out of three killings had been solved.

SP Altaf Khan’s SMS, sent to DGP Mr Kuldeep Khoda, at 10.27 p.m on July 30^th reads: “Murder case of Ashraf Dar, who was killed day before yesterday, solved with the arrest of Nazim Rashid Shalla @ Naveed Anjum. Furthermore, he has confessed about killing of one Jana Mir, thereby giving lead to his murder as well. Furthermore, he has identified the person who issues death warrants in the area. He will be picked up tonight”.

It was late in the night that a Police party got one Mohammad Shaban Dar arrested when Nazim identified him as the man issuing death warrants. Shaban is the brother of top wanted Lashkar militant, Bilal Ahmad Dar alias Huzaifa, However, Nazim died before he could be confronted with Shaban. Nazim, according to IR, revealed to his interrogators before his death that Bilal Ahmed Dar had shot dead Ashraf in his presence. He also revealed that Jana Mir too had been gunned down in his presence by Bilal Dar and Ghulam Nabi Doglu, who later died in an encounter with forces at Seer. Audio recording of Nazim’s confessions has been preserved and seized by Police.

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