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| Nattipora shuts over civilian's killing | | Killers identified; Police expect arrest in 48 hours | |
EARLY TIMES REPORT
SRINAGAR, May 1: Shops and other business establishments remained closed today in Nattipora outskirts of this capital city even as Police claimed to have identified the killers of 46-year-old Shafeeq Ahmed Sheikh, who had been done to death by a group of hooligans near General Bus Stand of Batmaloo on Friday.
Amid scores of youngsters coming out on the streets to protest their neighbour Shafreeq Ahmed Sheikh's death in the stone pelting of hooligans in Batmaloo area on Friday, shops and other business establishments remained shut in Nattipora locality today. They burned rubber tyres and intermittently shouted pro-Islam slogans. On a couple of occasions, they clashed with Police even as they did not directly hold them responsible for Sheikh's killing. They demanded an inquiry into the killing besides identification and arrest of the killers involved in yesterday's hooliganism.
SSP Srinagar, Javed Riyaz Bedar, and SP City, South, Mohammad Irshad told Early Times that Police had got all the 8-odd hooligans, including two youngsters who crushed Sheikh's head with a weighty stone, identified. They said that most of the hooligans had gone into hiding but expressed optimism that the killers would be arrested with the residents' support in the next 48 hours. "At least two of the hooligans have been found as ex-militants but those who threw the killer stones in the front have no guerrilla background", SP South said. He asserted that the hooligans were "professional stone pelters" and supporters of a separatist leader.
Some official sources insisted that Police were also scanning the CCTV data in an attempt to cross-check identities of the killers.
Meanwhile, hardliner separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani today called on the bereaved family in Nattipora area and alleged that Shafeeq's killing was the handiwork of "government's paid agents". In a brief address to a condolence gathering, Geelani expressed apprehension that "some black sheep" had intruded into "Kashmir's freedom movement". Quoting "informed sources", Geelani said gunshot wounds had been observed on Sheikh's body. He declared that the Batmaloo tragedy was being investigated by cadres of some separatist outfits and the killers would be identified. He said that whenever there was a call for shutdown from the Hurriyat, "government agents" had been merging into the pro-Azadi crowds and resorting to hooliganism.
Officials said that absence of stone pelting groups on the streets in Srinagar, subsequent to yesterday's incident, was proof that the people at large had no suspicions or complaints of Police or any other state agency's involvement in Sheikh's killing. "Had the people blamed Police or any other government agency for Sheikh's death, there would have been calls of shutdown, march to Nattipora and clashes with Police everywhere, at least in Srinagar", said an official.
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