Srinagar, July 31, 2011: A 25-year-old civilian Nazim Rashid Shalla alias Anjum, son of Abdul Rashid Shalla of Alamdar Mohalla was killed in police custody in Sopore on Sunday July 31, triggering a mass protest.
Nazim Rashid Shalla nicknamed Anjum son of Abdul Rashid Shalla of Alamdar Mohalla Kranshun Colony Sopore was arrested on Saturday July 30 by the dreaded Special Operations Group (SOG) personnel and on July 31, morning the police informed his family about his death. Police said they had arrested Nazim as part of the investigations into the killing of driver Mohammad Ashraf Dar two days ago.
Son of a retired policeman, Nazim was a resident of Krankshivan colony in Sopore and running a grocery store in his neighbourhood was arrested by the SOP personnel from there on Saturday afternoon. “His body was swollen and there were visible torture marks on it,” said Nazim’s father Abdul Rashid Shalla. “He was sitting at his shop on July 30. Around 3 pm, the police and Army arrived and took him away. They (policemen) told me that he would be back in half-an-hour. But on July 31, we were informed about his death.”
Hundreds of people took to streets in Sopore, raising pro-freedom and anti-India slogans. Police cane charged the protesters, resulting in injuries to four persons.
“The 25-year-old boy died in police custody,” Deputy Superintendent of Police Sopore, (DSP) Sopore, Ashiq Hussain told media men in Sopore. "He was killed by SOG men during interrogation. What other reasons could lead to his death," the locals said.
A labourer, and only earner of family Mohammad Ashraf Dar, son of Ghulam Ahmad of Chankhan was killed by identified gunmen in Krakhsun Colony Sopore on July29. It is reported the gunmen are the paid agents of SOG and Indian paramilitary forces and the victim Nazim knows the killers of civilians it is why he was killed in custody by the men in uniform , one of the relative said.
The family members of Nazim Rashid said their son was arrested by the Special Operations Group (SOG) and army on Saturday afternoon for questioning in connection with the killing of a civilian in the area.
“The SOG along with army of 22 Rashtriya Rifles from Gunju house camp knocked our door and asked for Nazim. I told them he is on his shop. They asked me that they want to pick him up for tentative questioning in connection with a killing. I resisted, but they told me they would be releasing him soon. Then they whisked him away to the local town hall,” father of the deceased, Abdul Rashid Shalla told media men.
“After two hours I called the local Indian army officer who was accompanying the SOG men. He told me he has handed Nazim to SOG personnel who were interrogating him. He told me that my son was being interrogated in presence of a top cop. I could listen to the screams of my son that time. Later the army officer handed over the phone to some SOG personnel. They threatened me and asked me to get the mobile of Nazim. I told him I am at home and it would take time to reach there. They told me that their boss doesn’t like late comers and has no time to listen to excuses,” he added.
At 5 pm on July 30 , Abdul Rasheed said, “I went to meet the Major of the army camp and told him that you had said that my son would be released within half an hour. He replied they are still inquiring and now they are interrogating him.”
“I feared of SOG interrogation, so I raised concern. I was told by him that the SOG men will interrogate Anjum mildly. I was assured that army will take my son in their custody. Major's assurances remained in my mind so I was in touch with the army camp.”
In the evening, Rasheed went to the army camp to handover Anjum's two mobile phones and met him. For the whole night he tried to contact the army men and the major but all in vain.
It was in the morning, when a neighbour informed Rasheed about media running news about a custodial killing in Sopore. Rasheed said then, “They had picked no one except my son.” He went to Superintendent of Police's (SP) office at Sopore. He was told that his son will be released soon…but he could smell that his son has died.
Rashid Shalla has served in police department as an Inspector. “Today I came to know through journalists that Nazim has died in police custody,” he said.
“They did not hand over the body. They have conducted the postmortem in presence of a magistrate,” he said. Nazim alias Anjum was a resident of Alamdar Colony of Krankshiven locality and owned a provision store there.
Rashid Shalla, the father of victim said that he saw the body and there were visible marks of torture. “His body was swollen since they forcibly fed him with buckets of water. His belly was swollen and there were visible marks of torture on his body,” he said. “Allah never show a father the body of his son in a such a condition. I am shattered,” he screamed. His words were echoed by a government official who was present at the time of post mortem.
“The body is swollen and torture marks can be seen on the body,” the official said, pleading anonymity. “The factual cause could be found after the autopsy report comes.”
“My son was arrested from his provision store by police on Saturday, July 30 afternoon. Police promised to release him after questioning. I’m desperately waiting to see him,” Nazim’s father, Abdur Rashid, unaware of his son’s death told that his son will be questioned for the shootout in the Chankhan locality in which a youth Mohammad Ashraf, son of Ghulam Ahmad was killed.
He said his son had to appear in class 12th examinations in the coming days. Nazim, 26, was the lone son of his father. His mother Naseema had passed away when he was just 4-days-old.
“A case of custodial killing under Section 302-RPC has also been registered,” a government spokesman said in a statement. n official spokesman "The District Magistrate has appointed a board of doctors and initiated proceedings under Section 176 CrPC as provided under law in such cases. A case of custodial killing under Section 302-RPC has also been registered."
Nazim’s father Abdul Rashid Shalla is a retired police inspector. He actually belongs to Baramulla but shifted to Krakshiva in Sopore after buying a house there. Nazim was running a shop near his house. Abdul Rashid told media men that when Mohammad Ashraf Dar, a local, was killed by some unidentified gun men in the town on the evening of July 27, Nazim came running to home and said somebody killed Dar.
“Nazim also told me that when Dar was killed he was standing near him. Nazim was worried after the killing. Later after two days people in the area started saying that my son was standing near Dar when the shoot out occurred,” Rashid Shalla said.
He added that on July 29, an Indian army major of a neighboring camp Gunjoo house summoned on phone his son to his camp. “Nazim refused to go there. The army officer told him to go near Law College. But Nazim neither went to army camp nor to the law college. On Saturday July 30 an army officer and some paramilitary personnel reached at the shop of Nazim and arrested him. When I reached the army camp, I was told by the officer e to keep Nazim in the camp as SOG personnel wanted him in connection with a killing,” said Rashid Shalla said.
He added that around 7.45 PM, Nazim called him on phone and told him to come to SOG camp along with his mobile phone. “I went to the camp but I was not allowed inside. However, I handed over the mobile phone to the sentry at the gate and returned to home. At around 9.00 PM Nazim called me again on phone and told me to take some medicines to the SOG camp, which I did. But I was not again allowed inside. Today I was told that he was killed in custody during night,” Rashid said.
Nazim’s uncle, Farooq Ahmad, said he went to the camp to meet his nephew in the morning. But he was told that he died during night. “They showed me Nazims’ body and it had external injuries and torture marks, ”Farooq said. He added that deceased was innocent and that he was not even remotely connected with militancy.
“The District Magistrate has appointed a board of doctors and initiated proceedings under section 176 Cr PC as provided under law in such cases. A case of custodial killing under Section 302-RPC has also been registered,” the police spokesman said. “Further action shall be taken based on the medical report and the findings of the Magistrate,” he added.
A government official, who has seen Nazim’s body, told media men that there were visible torture marks on his body. “The actual cause of death will be ascertained after the post mortem report is received,” he said. The post mortem was being video graphed.
A youth, Manzoor Ahmad from the Aloochibagh area in Srinagar, died in SOG custody in May, 2009.
Meanwhile, the authorities suspended the in-charge of the Police Component, Sopore, the guard commander and the sentry and attached the DSP, Operations, Sopore, in connection with the custodial death. The District Magistrate appointed a board of doctors and initiated proceedings under Section 176 of the CrPC. A case of custodial killing under Section 302 of the RPC was also registered.
Nazim’s killing has put the Valley on edge again, especially as the rape of a 32-year-old woman in Kulgam by two uniformed men and the molestation of a 15-year-old girl student by a soldier at Pattan are fresh in the people’s minds.
Police authority covering up culprits’
Srinagar, August 03: The family members of Nazim Rashid Shalla, 25, of Sopore who was killed in Special Operations Group (SOG) custody on July 31, said they have no hope that justice would be delivered to them.
The family said that police were destroying the evidence, and the cops against whom action was claimed to have been taken by the puppet regime were still serving in Sopore. “How can we expect justice from them?” Nazim’s father, Abdul Rashid Shalla said.
“Those police cops including DSP against whom it was claimed that action had been taken were part of the police contingent, which took action against the activists of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). “They were uniformed and everybody including me saw them on the road. They were running after PDP workers,” he added.
The puppet authorities had earlier stated that the Incharge of the Police Component Sopore, Guard Commander and sentry have been placed under suspension. The Deputy Superintendent of Police (Operations) Sopore has been attached. It had been further stated that a case of custodial killing under Section 302-RPC was also registered.
“The authorities announced they (cops) were attached and suspended. “It is a white lie. They are roaming around. It is an insult to us,” Shalla said. He also said the evidence in the case relating to killing of his son was being destroyed.
He said the people were angry and have lost faith in the puppet authority’s hollow claims of action against the killers. “In Sopore police knows only how to use guns and kill people. Government would not take any action against the killers of my son, as it is police who run the government in occupied Kashmir,” he said.
Shalla also said the evidence surrounding the killing of his son was being destroyed. He said that the police official SP Sopore of destroying the evidence. “SP is hell bent on destroying the evidence. We have apprehensions that they want to destroy evidence as no action has been taken against any body,” he said
Shalla said the people were angry and have lost faith in the government’s hollow claims of action against the killers.
“In Sopore police knows only how to use guns and kill people. Government would not take any action against the killers of my son as it is police who run the government in Kashmir,” he said.
The family members said why the government has so far not arrested those cops who detained Nazim from the house.
“When police picks up people on mere suspicion? Why not they arrest those cops who detained my son,” Shalla who himself has served as a police inspector told media men.
“His body was full of torture marks. Her abdominal part was inflated. We have counted 68 wounds on his body. Let them exhume the body and see it,” he added.
On July 31, 28 year old shopkeeper Nazim Rashid was tortured to death in police custody. The family members of the slain boy said their son was picked by the police’s Special Operations Group (SOG) and army on Saturday afternoon for questioning in connection with the killing of a civilian in the area.