Kashmir News Trust #KNT
[Published on 1 April 2013]
Refuting the claims of Army and District Administration that the probe into the killing of Baramullah youth Tahir Ahmed Sofi is going at a full pace and in an impartial manner, the parents of the slain youth revealed that one youth who produced himself as a witness in this killing was apprehended by police while he was released only after the people came on roads.
“On the 5th of March my son, Tahir was killed by 46 Army in cold blood. Nearly a month has gone and no action has been taken against the murderers. In South Kashmir’s Matan area police within hours charged three youths for the death of an auto-driver when there were no witnesses. Hundreds of people are witnesses to the killing of my son by the Army and yet no one has been arrested. What sort of justice is it?” father of slain youth Ghulam Rasool Sofi told news agency Kashmir News Trust.
He said it is that the time-bound Court of Inquiry (CoI) into the firing incident ordered by Army is a farce and nothing else. “Army is lying while the fact is that they know that no civilian will dare to produce himself before them as a witness. Not speaking of Army even police harassed a witness and arrested Javid Hasan Najar and tried to implicate him in a case under section 170 of CrPc,” he said.
Terming the probe as an eyewash, the father of the slain youth said that even district administration is not questioning the probe conducted by Army. “You will not believe it but it is true. The Army dispatched a letter directing us to be present at Army Court. We received the letter via a civilian and to our utter surprise we find the letter has reached to us two days late,” he said.
With tearful eyes, the mother of the slain youth said that her son was so helpful and a scholar. “Army killed my son and it was a cold-blooded murder and the guilty must be arrested and punished,” she said.
Narrating a woeful tale about the murder of his son, his father said that his son was killed by 46 RR personnel in Kakarhamam on the 5th of March at 4:12 minutes.
“There was no stone-pelting. The situation was tense but normal. My son Tahir Ahmed Sofi took Rs 20 from me and bought a cricket ball to play cricket in Idgah. When he was gone, the Army without any provocation ransacked the houses and beat inmates. I called my slain son on my mobile number 9419536254 and advised him to keep on playing cricket and not to come home,” Ghulam Rasool Sofi said adding that when Army went on a rampage and broke window panes of the vehicles, his son came to home to save his vehicle (JK01M-0944).
“My son drove his vehicle to one of his friends at Bagh-i-Islam and after coming back he went to Kakarhamam and was sitting on the roadside with his friends. There were three Army vehicles present on the road. Two Army personnel came down from the vehicle and one of them fired two shots. One bullet pierced into the mouth of my son he died instantly,” he said with tearful eyes adding that his son was a scholar who had taken admission for Ph.D. in Skim Manipal University.
Pertinently, police have already registered a case against the Army vide FIR number 81/2013 under section 302 of Ranbir Penal Code while District Administration has started a probe into the matter and has recorded the statements of various civilians.
When contacted the investigative officer Additional Deputy Commissioner Baramullah, Mansoor Ahmed Qadri told KNT that the probe is underway and the administration is in touch with the Army. “We have recorded the statements of various civilians and the probe is in progress. It has not been concluded yet and surely we are going to submit our report soon,” Qadri said. (KNT)
