An assistant commandant and three constables of CRPF were placed under suspension for killing a carpenter in an alleged fake encounter at Khaigam village.
An assistant commandant and three constables of CRPF were placed under suspension for killing a carpenter in an alleged fake encounter at Khaigam village. A case of murder was registered against the troopers in Pulwama district.
CRPF troopers of 181-battalion allegedly shot dead Ghulam Mohidin Malik, 35, in his house on Wednesday, just hours after Union home minister P Chidambaram called for ensuring that no innocent life is lost in the fight against militancy.
This is the third instance of security forces gunning down somebody in the Valley in the last one month and happened at a time when chief minister Omar Abdullah is under severe pressure to fulfil his promise to punish army jawans responsible for the killing of two youth at Bomai in Sopore last month.
Eyewitnesses said the troopers entered the village late in the evening on the pretext of carrying out a search operation. They entered Malik’s house and began firing, killing him on the spot. Later they fled from the scene fearing protests from the people.
“We heard gun shots at 7.40 pm and rushed to Malik’s house and found him lying in a pool of blood in his attic. There was no militant in the area. CRPF troopers resorted to unprovoked firing,” said Mohammad Younis, a villager.
Tempers are running high as hundreds hit the street raising anti-government and pro-freedom slogans. The villagers were not willing to bury the body. They climbed down only after the additional district magistrate rushed to the spot and told them that the four CRPF officials had been suspended and a murder case slapped against them. He also told them a magisterial enquiry had been ordered.
“We have suspended company commander SP Chaturvedi and three constables of 181 battalion pending inquiry. A court of inquiry has been ordered,” said CRPF spokesman Prabhakar Tripathi.
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