Day after the government ordered a magisterial enquiry into the killing of two civilians in army firing at Gawanpora village of Shopian district, the families of the slain civilians today said they “have no faith” in such probe.
“When the like probes have yielded nothing in the past, how could they yield any fair result now,” the families of slain civilians asked.
Talking to Kashmir Post, Abdul Rashid Bhat father of Javed Ahmed Bhat, said: “It is useless to wait for the government report which is expected to come within 20 days. Show me a single instance when the magisterial probe has
achieved anything in hundreds of like incidents since 1989.”
Family of Suhail Javaid Lone echoed similar views. “Why did not they (the army) fire on his leg? Why they had to hit him on the head?” they questioned.
Suhail’s father Javaid Ahmed Lone said: “Please don’t refer to these so called probes. We are sick of listening to such announcements; the reality is that these probes are unreliable.” he says.
“What has happened to Asiya-Nilofar case? Why even a decade after that shocking incident, the victim families are still awaiting justice? Suhail’s father asked.
Meanwhile, deputy commissioner Shopian, Muhammad Aijaz Asad, who has been appointed as the inquiry officer into the case, told Kashmir Post that Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) will be followed while conducting the probe.
“The families of slain youth must not be hopeless. We will invite both families as well as the army. We will listen to both the parties and take into the consideration whatever they say, before a report is prepared and brought to public.” DC said.
Villagers at Gawanpora and Balpora however demanded the immediate arrest of army personnel responsible for the killing of civilians.
“The army men must be arrested immediately as they tried to kill all villagers. Men, women and children, all were screaming for help. Government must fix responsibility and accountability so that such incidents are not repeated in future,” they said.
“If Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti is really pained by these killings, then she must ensure that those involved in the cold blooded murder of Javed and Suhail are put behind the bars to enhance credibility of her government,” a villager on the condition of anonymity told Kashmir Post.
Javaid Ahmad Bhat, (23), of Balpora Shopian and Suhail Javaid Lone (18) of Gawanpora were killed on Saturday afternoon when army opened fire at the people in Gawanpora village.
According to locals Javed Bhat, was first year under-graduate student at Government Degree College Shopian and was youngest of his four siblings. His father Abdul Rashid Bhat is a farmer by profession.
The whole village is in a state of shock after his death. The family said that Javed was targeted by forces just when he was returning from market.
“He was neither the part of stone pelting nor he was involved in any protest. He was returning home after booking a gas cylinder at local gas agency. Army had directly fired the bullet on his head,” his father said.
The shrieks of his wailing sisters could be heard outside their house as people around also broke down. “O our beloved brother, come home, your sisters are waiting for you,” they wailed as they fell unconscious and people around provided them water.
SuhailJavaid on the other hand was studying in 12th standard at Government Higher Secondary School Shopian. He was the eldest among his three siblings. His father is a labourer by profession.
Suhail’s mother is inconsolable. “I never knew that he will leave us alone. He was the only hope for me. Only the parents know the pain of losing their son,” his mother said in a grim voice.
Both Javaid and Suhail were laid to rest on late Saturday night amid pro-freedom slogans, at their ancestral graveyards in Balpora and Gawanpora villages respectively.
People from dozens of villages of Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam participated in their funeral prayers. Scores of youth and relatives carried the bodies in a procession, chanting pro-freedom slogans. On Sunday, hundreds of people thronged their residences to express solidarity with the bereaved families.
Not a single probe ordered into civilian killings during the past seven months has been completed, raising questions about government’s commitments to provide justice to the families of victims in Kashmir.
Details gathered by Kashmir Post reveal that three separate inquiries were ordered by the state government into the civilian killings since June 2017. But till date none of them has been concluded, vindicating the claims of rights groups that these exercises have been nothing more than a time–buying exercise to cool the tempers.
The disclosure about government’s failure to complete the inquiries comes at a time when government has ordered a similar probe into the killing of two civilians by Army in south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Saturday.
Shopian killing
In June 2017, the government ordered a probe into the killing of Adil Farooq of Shopian district. But it is yet to be taken to its logical conclusion due to “non-cooperation” of Army with the authorities probing the death.
Deputy commissioner Shopian MuhammadAijaz Ahmad confirmed to this newspaper that the probe has not been completed as yet. “We have sought details from the Army related to their deployment and ammunition( on that day) but they have not responded yet,” he said. Adil was killed on June 6 last year when government forces opened fire on youth during a search and cordon operation near Ganowpora village.
Handwara killing
The probe into the killing of Shahid Bashir Mir of Daril Payeen Handwara is also incomplete even as the death took place in August last year. “The probe is going on,” inquiry officer and additional deputy commissioner Handwara, Muhammad Muzaffar Pir said. “It will take me at least two weeks to conclude the exercise.”
On August 21, Army claimed to have killed a militant in the forests of Handwara. The next day, it turned out that the slain militant was actually an unarmed civilian from the Daril village of Tarathpora cluster.
Kupwara killing
The fate of the probe into the killing of a sumo driver by Army in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district is no different.
The inquiry is still incomplete even as the district authorities had claimed that the exercise would be concluded within 21 days.
“The probe is still underway,” inquiry officer Muhammad Abdullah Malik told Kashmir Post.
He said he has recorded the statements of 12 witnesses so far. “I have also obtained the report from the police ,”he said.
Asif Iqbal was killed on the intervening night of December 16 and 17 when he had stepped out of his home to ferry a patient to local hospital. The Army, however, had claimed that he was killed in cross-firing.
