Srinagar, Monday, March 16, 2015: In Srinagar, Justice (retd) Moti Lal Koul who in his report has said that Indian Central Reserve Police (CRPF) paramilitary personnel for killing 3 unarmed innocent Kashmiri youth Tariq Ahmad Mir, Tauseef Ahmad and Muhammad Yusuf Sufi at Gagrin area of South Kashmir’s Shopian district . Justice (retd) ML Koul with regard to Shopian (Gagrin) killings on September 7, 2013 indicted paramilitary CRPF for the innocent killings and had submitted his report in July 2014.
He urged upon the Kashmir administration led by regime of PDP-BJP to initiate action against the involved troopers. He said that it has been almost a year now when he submitted his report to the previous regime of Omar Abdullah but so far no action has been initiated against the guilty.
Three unarmed Kashmiri youth and one Abdullah Haroon who is being called militant were killed in CRPF firing at Gagrin Shopian on September 7, 2013.
‘We had submitted our report based on facts in July 2014 but that has been eating dust in the Home Department. I have been also probing the killings of over 110 youth in 2010 Kashmir mass agitation and if no action would be taken on Shopian report, the inquiry that is going on about 2010 killings will lose importance,” Koul said adding that report is gathering dust and no action was initiated by the previous NC-Congress led regime
In its report Koul had indicted two personnel of Indian Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Ashok Kumar Pathania and constable Santosh Kumar who according to Commission were responsible for firing 32 shots on people after killing three innocent youth, Tariq Ahmad Mir, Tauseef Ahmad Bhat and Muhammad Yusuf Sufi.
In its report Justice Koul had also made recommendations that the dependents of the victim youth be paid compensation (Rs 4 lakh) saying that Sami Jan widow of victims Muhammad Yousuf Sofi and Ghulam Muhammad Bhat son of Tawseef Bhat need compensation as they live in abject poverty.
Besides the Commission had also recommended that two persons who are the close relatives of the victim youth be appointed under SRO 43 of 1994 on the basis of educational qualification in any government department. “We don’t know what happened to the report. Neither guilty were punished, nor facts were made public,” said a relative of a victim youth awaiting justice.
Justice (retd) ML Koul said “I did my job and now government has to deliver justice. I am hopeful that truth will prevail,” Koul said.
Koul talking to media men said that inaction over the recommendations submitted by the Commission has not only put his credibility at stake but also it will have send a wrong signal and people will start losing faith among Commissions and Committees entrusted the job to probe any important matter.