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ShareSrinagar: With Omar Abdullah government failing to track down the culprits in Shopian rape and murder case even after 36 days, the J&K high court has finally stepped-in ordering an exhumation of the two bodies for fresh postmortem though with the consent of the families.
Hearing the petition filed by the Kashmir Bar Association (KBA), a division bench of the high court comprising Chief Justice Barin Gosh and Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir passed several directions to speed-up the probe.
"We request the family of deceased, if they think so fit, to allow exhumation of bodies for proper and thorough postmortem to enable expeditious conclusion of the investigation. In the event of permission, the postmortem shall be conducted by doctors deputed by Principal Government Medical College. The Principal shall also depute two doctors to supervise the exhumation", the court said.
The court also asked for conducting the DNA tests of the hair which was found in the vehicle seized by the police for investigation.
Bodies of Neelofar and her sister-in-law Aasiya were fished out from a stream at Shopian on May 30 a day after they went missing. Her family members and locals had alleged that they were raped and murdered before their bodies were dumped into the local stream. Anger has swept across the valley with protests and demonstrations spreading to every nook and corner since June 1.
Earlier Omar had said that initial investigations had suggested that the deaths occurred due to drowning, which quelled the anger. However, after the investigations and postmortem, it was confirmed that the rape had been committed before they were killed.
Though Omar ordered a judicial probe by a retired justice Muzaffar Jan and suspended five officers for destroying the evidence, the anger on streets has refused to die down. Justice Jan commission had been given one month time for completing investigation but the tenure was extended by another 10 days.
The division bench, however, revamped the whole investigation process by appointing IGP (CID) Farooq Ahmad as the new head of the SIT who will be assisted by the DIG Rouf-ul-Hassan.
"It would be appropriate that the suspended police officers should be appropriately interrogated by the SIT. And if necessary it should be followed by narco-analysis test. Permission herby is granted", the court said.
GN Shaheen, general secretary of the KBA, the CRPF has been made the party in the case and IGP of the forces have been directed to cooperate with the SIT into the case.
"The court has asked SIT to present the report about the case by July 15", he said
Meanwhile, J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah has welcomed the court judgment saying it will help establish the truth in this case.
