Srinagar, July 1, 2015 : The Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Friday has directed the head of Special Investigating Team (SIT) probing Khanabal twin killings case of 2010 to appear before it on August 4 along with case diaries and other reports related to the case.
Two youth -Bilal Ahmad Najar and Noor ul Amin Dagga --were killed in reported Indian police firing in September 2010 when they were waiting outside Ahlihadees Masjid at Khanabal in south Kashmir’s Islamabad (Anantnag) district for participating in funeral prayers of a student Maroof Ahmad Nath, who had drowned in River Jehlum after forces allegedly chased some boys.
Observing that on February 2, 2014, the court had directed the investigating agency to draw a time schedule for recording statements of witnesses, a bench of Justice Ali Muhammad Magrey held that there was no satisfactory progress in investigation carried out by the SIT.
“More than a year and half is over, the position has remained unchanged and SIT has not shown any satisfactory progress in the matter leaving no option but to direct SP Islamabad (Anantnag) to be present on 4-8-15 along with case diaries and other material,” the court said. On December 19, 2013, the High Court had directed the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to be headed by an officer not below the rank of Superintendent of Police in keeping with order dated 27-11-2013 to probe the killings.
“Time and again SIT sought time to conclude the investigation and file final report before the competent court of law,” the court held. Prior to constitution of the SIT, the investigating teams constituted on the directions of court could not take the investigation of the case to its logical conclusion.
Families of Najar and Dagga had approached the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Islamabad (Anantnag) with a plea that SSP be directed to register a case to probe the killings. The Court directed the SSP to register the case.
In November 2012, the High Court withdrew proceedings from the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Anantnag and decided to monitor the case itself. The advocate Mian Abdul Qayoom represented the victim families.
Meanwhile, Pattan Baramulla massacre victims of 1st August 1990 wre remembered as 17 people were slaughtered by Indian army on this day
All shops and other business establishments remained closed in the town as a mark of respect for the martyrs who were mowed down in the market by an army convoy, which allegedly took a misfire of one of its own soldiers as an attack.
The Indian troops had first beaten up people, sprayed bullets at them and then set the market ablaze. The market was set on fire by government forces on two other occasions as well.
1 August 1990 Pattan massacre victims rememberedHundreds of people, shouting pro-freedom slogans and paying homage to the massacred people, marched to the local Martyrs Graveyard and offered prayers to the victims.