JAMMU, 1 February 2007 — The chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir yesterday ordered a judicial probe into the killing of a father of five, who police said was a militant they shot dead in a gunbattle. The probe to be completed in three months would be headed by a sitting or retired judge of the high court, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said in the state assembly yesterday. Azad made it clear that his government would not “spare any policeman found involved in killing of innocent persons.” The killing of 35-year-old Abdul Rahman Padder sparked unrest in his native village, where hundreds of people have protested and demanded action against the police. Two policemen have been arrested in connection with the death of Padder, who went missing on Dec. 8 and was reported killed last weekend.
