SRINAGAR: The Kashmir government yesterday suspended a police officer for his alleged involvement in the custodial death of a civilian in summer capital Srinagar yesterday. The death sparked off wildcat protests in the uptown locality of Aloochi Bagh disrupting traffic and normal life for hours.
Yesterday also, the mourners and protesters swarmed the streets in several parts of the city, shouting anti-government slogans to ventilate their anger against the incident.
Manzoor Ahmad Beig, 40, a second-hand vehicle dealer, was picked up by the infamous Special Operations Group (SOG) men in the morning of Monday and taken to their interrogation center called “cargo camp” adjacent to the residence of the victim.
In the afternoon, a half dead Beig was taken by the SOG members to a private nursing home, where doctors alarmed by the critical condition directed him to be taken to the states premier, SMHS hospital for specialized treatment.
The SOG men acted accordingly, but fled after dropping him at the hospital, where attending doctors declared him “brought dead”.
As the news of the death of young Beig, father of three small children, spread in his locality, angry residents came out on the streets and pelted passing vehicles demanding the body for burial.
As the situation worsened, the authorities handed over the body and immediately ordered an inquiry into the matter to be conducted by the additional district magistrate Srinagar.
The state chief minister who is in Delhi has taken a serious note of the incident. Omar Abdullah has repeatedly been voicing zero tolerance to human rights violations in the state.
The local reports say that the counterinsurgency SOG had picked up Beig on a personal matter involving an official of the group whose relative had done a business deal with Beig.
The authorities have now placed inspector Khursheed under suspension ahead of the start of inquiry which points to the involvement of the officer in the custodial death.
Meanwhile, former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed “regretted that the government has failed to safeguard life and dignity of the people of this state.” In a statement, Mufti said that Congress-National Conference coalition regime was “looking helpless in protecting lives of people as killing of innocent citizens has been going unabated since formation of this regime in the state”.
