Srinagar
In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, justice continues to elude the family of a young school boy Wamiq Farooq, who was martyred by Indian police in Srinagar, and five victims of Ajas massacre.
Wamiq was killed in a teargas shell fired by Indian police in Srinagar on 31 January in 2010. Several freedom activists visited his graveyard at Mazar-e-Shuhada in Srinagar and offered Faheha for him and other martyrs.
A commission led by Justice M.L. Koul, which was assigned to investigate human rights violations took place during the 2010 uprising finally submitted a report in 2014 wherein it criticised the use of unjustified force on civilians by Indian troops that resulted in more than 120 deaths.
Moreover, the commission’s report concluded that Wamiq’s killing was an example of police brutality. The 320-page report further mentioned that the defence put forth by the accused party was dubious and weak.
“These commissions are nothing but an attempt to camouflage and deviate the attention of the people – no recommendations were implemented. These are just diversionary tactics employed by the authorities,” advocate Ajaz Ahmad, who is representing Wamiq Farooq’s family, told media men.
The then Chief Judicial Magistrate, Srinagar, had issued an order of probe under which Masarat Shaheen, currently registrar judicial at the IIOJK High Court, recorded the statement of eight eyewitnesses. “All of the testimonies confirmed that there was no mob present at the time and there was no incident of stone pelting, and that the constable Akram had fired shells on the order of ASI Khaliq,” Ahmad said.
In remembrance of Wamiq Farooq on his 13th martyrdom anniversary, congregational prayers were held at Martyrs’ Graveyard, Eidgah, in Srinagar.
Meanwhile, Chairman of International Forum for Justice and Human Rights, Muhammad Ahsan Untoo while paying glorious tributes to the five unarmed civilians, killed on 2nd February 1992, said that he could not get the reply to his petition filed before the Human Rights Commission regarding the killings.
He said that Border Security Force (BSF) men took the body of one of the five killed civilians with them and did not return it to the family. “The Justice eludes the victim families of the Ajas village of Bandipora district as even no FIR was registered against the culprits.—KMS
