4 policemen accused of killing civilian sent to jail

Bandipora: Four policemen accused of killing a Bandipore youth in police custody10 years ago were charge-sheeted Friday by the Crime Branch after they were found guilty in the crime. All the four have been sent to the central jail. The FIR was lodged at Police Station, Bandipore vide No: 125/2007.
The charge-sheet was filed in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Bandipora after the Crime Branch concluded the four police personnel, including two Sub-Inspectors (SI) Abdul Aziz Thakur alias Aziz Killer, Bashir Ahmad Khan and Selection Grade (SG) constable Akhter Hussain Mir and Farooq Ahmad Dar, a Special Police Officer (SPO) who has died.
The accused as per the charge sheet have been booked under charges of murder, torture, illegal confinement, falsifying and distorting evidence separately.
The case was first investigated by Police Station Bandipora and later on a magisterial inquiry was initiated under vide order number DMB/2006/4340-44 headed by then-Assistant Commissioner Baramulla A. K Wani.
However, Chief Judicial Magistrate Bandipora expressed dissatisfaction over investigation in 2011 and directed SSP crime Branch Kashmir to reinvestigate the matter.
The report says that deceased was illegally confined in the camp till September 6, 2006 when he was brought dead to Bandipora hospital in the evening. Doctors after conducting autopsy revealed that death was caused due to the rupture of a kidney with tear measuring 0.124cm.
The death according to medical report was caused due to the heavy physical torture to the deceased during the intervening night of 3-4 September 2006.
The initial investigation of the case was carried out by Police Station Bandipora and accordingly submitted the charge sheet in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate against Late Farooq Ahmed-SPO under section 302/RPC when he was dead.
Report says that the CJM Bandipora expressed dissatisfaction over police investigation and passed an order dated December 12, 2011 observing therein that the charge sheet has been presented against the dead person in order to evade action against the officer and officials besides terming investigation as defective and shoddy, accordingly SSP Crime Branch Kashmir was directed to conduct the further investigation in the case which has now submitted its final report.
Later, a magisterial inquiry was initiated and then-Assistant Commissioner Baramulla A K Wani was appointed to investigate in the case. However, CJM, Bandipora expressed dissatisfaction over investigation in 2011 and directed Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) CB Kashmir to reinvestigate the matter. During the investigation the doctors who conducted autopsy said that the death of Zahoor was caused due to rupture of kidney with tear. They said that the death was caused due to the heavy physical torture of the deceased during the intervening night of September 3 and 4, 2006. The initial investigation of the case was carried out by Police Station Bandipora and accordingly submitted the charge sheet in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate against Late Farooq Ahmed-SPO under section 302/RPC when he was dead.
The CB has accused late Farooq Ahmed of the offence under 302 RPC while Aziz Thakuhr, Khan and Mir have been charged with the offences punishable U/S 343, 468, 471, 201,109 RPC.

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