Baramulla inquiry in to killing of four youth yet to completed

Srinagar July 18: As the deadline of ten days has already passed - Inquiry officer probing the killing of four youths in CRPF and Police firing in North Kashmir’s Baramulla town is yet to submit his report.
The killing of four youths had sparked massive protests in North Kashmir’s Baramulla town and across the Valley. Soon after the killing of three youth on June 29, Deputy Commissioner Baramulla Lateef – u – Zaman Deva had appointed additional deputy commissioner Baramulla Mohammad Ashraf Shantoo to probe the killing.
The probe was announced on July 1 and the inquiry officer was asked to submit his report within ten days. However, the inquiry officer said the report will be submitted within few days. “Since statements of many witnesses needed to be recorded so it got delayed by day or two,” inquiry officer, Mohammad Ashraf Shenthoo said.
“I started work on July 5 and had already sought few more days from the Deputy Commissioner,” he said. The Inquiry Officer, however, refused to divulge details about probe. “I can’t comment on the findings of probe,” he said.
Till date several police and CRPF officials had already deposed before the inquiry officer. Besides, some eyewitnesses’ dozens of men of J&K Police’s elite Special Operation Group (SOG) and CRPF men who were deployed in the town on June 29 were also questioned by the IO.
Eyewitnesses who deposed before the Inquiry Officer had claimed that they had seen men in uniform opening fire on the protesters that resulted in the killing of three young boys in the main market and Cement Bridge on June 29. The fourth youth was killed on June 30 at Khanpora when CRPF opened fire on a group of protestors. Police has already registered a murder case against CRPF for killing a youth at Khanpora.
The eyewitnesses had also told the inquiry officer that first fire was opened from the Rakshak vehicle used by both SOG and CRPF personnel. It’s not clear whether the Inquiry Officer has been able to identify the agency that was involved in the firing.
Though Police officials have been blaming the CRPF for opening indiscriminate fire on the protestors in the town, however, CRPF men have been maintaining that they opened fire on the instructions of a Police official who was heading them at Cement Bridge and main market. Sources said the finding of the report will be forwarded to J-K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah next week.