SRINAGAR : Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said he will order a judicial inquiry by a retired high court judge into the firing incident at Shopian on September 7 that left four persons, including a Pakistani militant, dead.
“I will have to ask a retired judge of the high court, because sitting judges are not provided… It (the probe) has now become almost compulsory,” he said, while replying to an adjournment motion moved by opposition parties in the Assembly over recent killings in the state.
Omar said he will get an order issued by the Law Department for appointing a retired high court judge to urgently start investigations into the incident and submit a report within a timeframe.
“Sweet or bitter, we are bound to tell people of Shopian the truth about the incident. If any security force personnel is guilty, he will be punished by the courts and whatever action is possible, will be taken,” he said.
The Chief Minister said statements issued by various security agencies over the antecedents of those killed in the firing incident had made the situation “murky” to the extent that even if something is found against these men, nobody is going to accept it.
“There was a talk right from the beginning that this inquiry needs to be upgraded and I wanted to do it in a (proper) way. If there would have been no statements (from security forces officers), perhaps, we would not need this and we would have come to a conclusion based on the investigations. We have struck the axe at our own feet by issuing these statements,” he said.
Omar said while there was no militancy record against three local persons killed in the incident, based on police investigations and the evidence he has seen, he is convinced that the fourth person was a militant.
“He was a not a Bihari labourer. For a moment even if we
accept what the Leader of the Opposition said about no one coming forward to own the labourer – that locals do not want to get caught in cases… But someone from Bihar would have come forward. Today, everyone has a mobile, phone calls are not expensive… Someone from his family would have tried to contact after 22 days,” Omar said.
He said the moot question now is about others killed in the incident. “There is a need to ascertain their antecedents. We have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt who they were. Just knowing someone (who is a militant), does that make them militants?” he asked.
On the Kishtwar violence in August, the Chief Minister said then Minister of State for Home Affairs Sajad Kitchloo was not asked to resign or was sacked by him.
“I did not want him to resign. It was his (Kitchloo’s) own decision to step down. He realised that his presence (in the government) was being used by some elements to spread the violence further. So, he decided to step down pending the outcome of the inquiry,” he said.
Omar said his government managed to prevent the violence from spreading to other parts of Jammu region like Poonch and Rajouri “by the skin of our teeth”.
He said the Kishtwar incident was linked to Village Defence Committees (VDCs).
“Despite the attacks at Kathua and Samba, the militancy in Jammu region has declined considerably. What is the role of VDCs in such a situation and how to make them more accountable is being discussed in the government,” Omar said.
The Chief Minister said the legislators should also spare a thought for the families of those security force personnel who laid down their lives while performing their duties in the state. (AGENCIES)
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