Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, May 30: The High Court today directed the Inspector General ITBP to appear before an officer who is investigation custodial disappearance of a man from South Kashmir.
Justice Hasnain Masoodi directed the present IG ITBP Inder Singh Negi and Dr. P. S. Ganjyal to appear before the Investigation Officer (IO) so that the identification parade is fixed.
The court also directed the officer to conduct identification parade of the accused persons involved in custodial disappearance of Mohammad Ashraf Koka of Verinag, Anantnag.
Koka, as per police FIR No.96/2001 registered in Dooru police station, was picked up from his residence by ITBP personnel of 10th Bn at Dooru Verinag on October 2001.
Police has been investigating the case since 2001.
Disappointed by the mode and manner of investigation, father of the alleged victim approached the court in 2002 and the court directed Superintendent of Police, Anantnag, for expediting investigation into the case.
Appearing before the court on May 2012, the IO had stated that the accused involved in illegal abduction and custodial disappearance were identified, and to take the investigation to its logical end were to be got identified by the witnesses in test identification parade.
“The Commandant of concerned ITBP was not cooperating with the investigating agency,” the IO had said.
The IO said they had approached the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Anantnag, to issue warrants against the identified personnel so as to ensure their presence.
Some of the persons named by the witnesses in their statement u/s 161 Cr PC have since appeared and test identification parade has been conducted.
“However, their mere appearance before the IO would not satisfy the mandate of orders passed from time to time since May, 2012” the bench observed.
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