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| BSF Commandent arrested | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Mar 04: BSF 68 Bn Commanding Officer (CO) R K Birdi was finally arrested by police Thursday for his alleged involvement in the killing of 16-year old Zahid Farooq Sheikh at Brein near Nishat in Srinagar on February 5 last.
The arrest comes about a month after the boy's killing. Birdi, who was suspended by union home ministry, Wednesday withdrew his anticipatory bail plea he had filed in the court of additional district and sessions judge, Shakti Gupta.
He appeared before the judge Wednesday and argued that he was not absconding, while expressing apprehensions that some evidence was being fabricated against him.
He was today arrested by police after he was handed over to special investigation team by BSF authorities.
Birdi's name had surfaced in the killing after the arrest of BSF jawan Lakhvinder Kumar, who was handed over to police after a BSF in-house inquiry had found that his service rifle was used to kill Zahid on February 5. The killing had triggered massive protests in
the Valley.
During questioning, Lakhvinder had confessed shooting at the youth, but allegedly maintained that he only followed the orders of his CO who had ordered him to shoot at the youth.
Zahid, who sustained a fatal chest wound, had died while being shifted to the hospital.
Following Lakhvinder's allegation, the Union home ministry had issued Birdi's suspension order, who was then confined to the local BSF headquarters, pending an inquiry against him by an officer of the rank of inspector general.
Zahid was killed at Brein after he had entered into an altercation with BSF personnel who were on their way to Shalimar for a medical check-up.
Though Lakhvinder was arrested, eyewitnesses and the probe claimed that it was at the insistence of the commandant that the BSF Jawan had fired at the boy.Two BSF jawans - Dhananjay Gori and Ram Singh who were part of the team - had recoded their statement before a magistrate supporting Lakhvinder's claim that the commandant had even cocked the gun and
ordered firing at the boy.
Police have seized the weapon used to kill the boy and three vehicles used by the personnel of the unit at the time of the incident. The weapon has been sent to ballistic experts for tests.
Forensic teams have also taken samples of tyres of the three seized vehicles and matched them with those at the crime scene.Birdi was kept in the lock-up at Kothi Bagh police station where he was being questioned.
"Birdi is being questioned to take forward the investigation," a police officer said.
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