For rewards, police's anti-militancy arm killed J&K innocents

SRINAGAR: Following mass public protests in remote Kokernag, the police have collected the samples from his relatives to ascertain the biological identity of Abdur Rehman Paddar, a young carpenter who lies buried in remote Ganderbal after he was killed in a ���fake encounter��� early this month. Termed a Pakistan militant abu Hafiz, the party that killed him was given Rs. 1.25 lakhs as reward.

The exposi has already sent the police leadership to arrested a cop, and an ASI as two officers of the rank of SSP and DySP have been attached. All the four are part of the Special Operations Group (SOG), the state police���s anti-militancy arm.

The issue is gradually snowballing into a major issue as many more skeletons are likely to likely to tumble out of the Ganderbal police���s cupboard. A special investigation team that has been constituted has indicated that there could be three more cases of individuals that have gone missing in similar circumstances.

Paddar, a resident of remote Larnu village, was a carpenter who went missing from city locality of Batamaloo. His family, after failing in tracing him out, lodged a report with the police. There was no breakthrough till the family informed the police that Paddar was carrying a cell phone.

When the police got his mobile���s IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity), the set was traced and led them to a young man in Sumbal Abdul Rashid Wagay who offered the first lead and then the clear picture emerged of how the young man was picked up, driven far away from Srinagar, killed and branded a foreign terrorist.

Now his wife Muneera gave another angle to the tragedy. She told reporters in Srinagar that one of the arrested constables Farooq Ahmad had taken Rs. 75,000 from her husband in March last with a promise to get him appointed as care-taker of a water tank that government had constructed on their land.

Consistent instance for returning the money was the motive for the killing; she said adding that entire police leadership was lackadaisical towards their plight between December 8 last when they registered a missing case and January 25 when the racket got exposed.

Though fake encounters is nothing new in J&K and almost all the forces fighting militancy have their own share of cases, but Paddar case seems to offer a new trend: security agencies picking up individuals from economically weaker sections from far away from their homes and killing them in custody.

Paddar is not a case in isolation. On eve of Republic day the troops killed a young man in Pattan, over 40 Kms from his old city Nawpora locality. He has been arrested from Maisuma where he was working as a labourer. In Ganderbal case, police is looking for clues in many more cases.

Nazir Ahmad Deka, for instance, was selling used garments on Srinagar pavements and was killed and showed a foreigner. Ghulam Nabi Wani, another cart-puller from Kokernag met the same fate and in both cases SOG Ganderbal staked claim for credit.

The issue has also been raked up in the state assembly. Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has made a statement informing that action would be taken against the guilty.

Special Investigation Team that has been constituted is readying to exhume the corpse that has its face mutilated by excessive use of firepower on Tuesday. Deputy Commissioner Anantnag has already issued directions for the exhumation from Batpora in Sumbal.