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| Three more bodies exhumed | | SIT now have information regarding 12 more | | Srinagar, Feb 03
While three more bodies were exhumed – two from Ajas and one more from Kangan – and DNA samples for testing taken before handing over the bodies to the victims' families, police today arrested the former SSP Ganderbal, Hans Raj Parihar, and the former DySP operations, Bahadur Ram, in Srinagar. Meanwhile, massive anti police protests took place at Ajas. At Kangan, protesters stopped exhumation demanding media presence while exhumation went on.
With the latest arrests, the number of policemen arrested in the innocent civilian cases has gone up to ten. Police sources, however, say that two civilians have also been arrested in this connection and it is on their identification that graves across the whole belt ranging from Bandipora to Kangan are being opened for exhuming bodies.
Police sources said that the special investigation team now had information regarding 12 such graves in which innocent civilians killed in fake encounters and branded as foreign militants lay dead. Fearing that some vested elements may try to shift bodies from graves, police has secured all the graveyards in Bandipora area of North Kashmir.
After being arrested, former SSP Hans Raj Parihar and DySP Bahadur Ram have been lodged in Shaheed Gunj Police Station after being arrested. Parihar was earlier attached after the innocent civilian killings case surfaced.
"We have collected a lot of evidence against former SSP, Hans Raj Parihar, and he has been arrested. But I must tell you many more arrests are expected," DIG Central Kashmir, Farooq Ahmad, told media persons.
Meanwhile, three more bodies were exhumed today in the continuing exhumation process taking the total number of bodies of innocent civilians exhumed over the past three days to five.
The special investigation team, assisted by forensic experts, today first exhumed the body of Ghulam Nabi Wani, son of Ghulam Qadir Wani, resident of Nowbugh in Kokernag area in South Kashmir from the local graveyard of Rather Mohalla of Ajas village in Bandipora area of north Kashmir Baramulla district. Police said that Wani was picked up from Lal Chowk area of Srinagar on 2nd March 2006 and was subsequently killed in Rather Mohalla on 5th March. A missing report was registered in this connection in Kothibagh Police Station.
Wani wife, who was present at the time of exhumation, immediately recognised the body. Breaking down, Wani wife cried, "Oh my God why this happened to us." The body was then taken to his native village for burial. Agitated protesters tried to break the cordon and seize the body. Police resorted to tear smoke shelling and cane charge to prevent protesters from seizing the body.
The team then exhumed the body of an Imam, Showkat Ahmad Katari, son of Noor Mohammed Katari, who hailed from Banihal area and preached in a Masjid in Alamgir Bazar area of Srinagar city from Bazipora nearby Bazipora village. Police sources said that the Imam went missing from Srinagar on January 5, 2006, and an FIR was lodged in Zadibal police Station in this connection.
As the news of the Imam's body being identified broke out in Alamgir Bazaar, people took to streets and held intense protests shouting slogans against 'killer police officers'. Imam's body was brought to Alamgir Bazar Srinagar where thousands of people attended his Nimaz-e-Jinazah.
While the exhumation process was on, thousands of people assembled around the graveyard in Ajas and started protesting against accused police officers and demanding that the accused officers be immediately punished.
At Hari village in Kangan rae of Central Srinagar district, however, protesters prevented opening of graves till media personnel arrived at the spot. Thousands of protesters that had gathered around the graveyard denied the special investigation team access to the graves demanding that media be informed and their presence during exhumation be made mandatory.
Though media persons arrived at the scene after the exhumation of bodies at Ajas was over, the special investigation team succeeded in exhuming the body of Ali Mohammed Padder, a resident of Matigawran village in Kokernag area. |
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