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| CRPF denies its role in civilian killings | | 2010 summer unrest | | Mustansir
Srinagar, July29; The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), lending helping hand to the J&K Police in maintaining maintain law and order situation in the state, has "categorically" denied its involvement in the civilian killings during the 2010 summer unrest.
Sources told Early Times that in a counter affidavit filed in the J&K High court earlier this week, CRPF has said that there was no role of CRPF in killing of the civilians in 2010 summer unrest in which about 120 youth died in police action.
The CRPF according to sources, has said that non-lethal weapons were used as a last resort on the orders of a Magistrate and hence there was no role of CRPF in killing of protesters.
Sources further said CRPF has stated in the affidavit that the role of paramilitary forces was to help the civil administration in maintaining the law and order situation and that the civil administration was responsible for any action.
The counter affidavit has been submitted by the CRPF to the J&K High Court this week, which is hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) by advocate Sofi Imtiyaz seeking investigation and registration of FIRs into 117 civilian killings allegedly by security forces in 2010.
The response of the CRPF has come even as the J&K Police has made it clear that it does not need to further investigate the civilian deaths in 2010 as "investigation in almost all cases has been completed".
In reply to the affidavits filed by the legal heirs of persons allegedly killed during civil disturbances in the summer of 2010, it is submitted that out of the 44 affidavits, 15 have made allegations against the CRPF, and in reply to those, it is categorically denied that any personal of the CRPF is responsible for the deaths.
"The allegations against the CRPF personal are incorrect and vague in material and cannot be relied upon," the counter affidavit states.
However, DIG Central (Rambagh) Sandeep Dutta when contacted refused to comment on the issue saying the matter was subjudice.
"The affidavit has been submitted by our legal cell and you will come to know about it only after the matter comes up for hearing in the High Court" Dutta said and added that the matter being subjudice could not be discussed.
To quell the civilian protests during the unrest in 2010 summer, the state government had also deployed the CRPF alongside the J&K Police personnel in the Kashmir valley. Apart from allegations against the J&K Police, there were also widespread allegations against the CRPF that its troopers resorted to "indiscriminate" use of force during the unrest, resulting in scores of civilian deaths.
However, in its submissions to the court, the CRPF has categorically denied involvement in the civilian killings saying that maintaining law and orders during the unrest was the responsibility of the civil administration. "The law and order is the responsibility of the state government, which it maintains through the state police and, if required, with the assistance of the Central Police organizations" sources quoted CRPF officials as having said.
"Even when the CRPF is deployed, the responsibility for coordination remains with the civil administration. To assist the CRPF, a magistrate and the police are attached to it and the onus for any action taken or combating the situation remains that of the civil administration", the CRPF has further submitted.
Facing heat for killing of 117 people in 2010, the government had appointed a two-member commission of inquiry to probe the civilian killings in Kashmir on account of action taken by the police and security forces
The CRPF, however, chose to challenge the probe by the commission of inquiry and succeeded in getting a high court stay, which barred the commission from 'finalizing' its probe findings
The J&K police in its latest status report to the HC, while saying there is no need for further probe in the civilian deaths of 2010, has also opposed the inquiry commission. |
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