Family Alleges Police Not Filing Chargesheet Into Son’s Killing

Father and the sister of the deceased teenager staged a peaceful protest in Srinagar’s press colony on Wednesday | KO Photo

Srinagar: The family of one of the teenagers killed in the 2010 civilian unrest on Wednesday demanded submission of a chargesheet against police personnel involved in the killing.

The father and the sister of the deceased teenager staged a peaceful protest in Srinagar’s press colony and urged the authorities to file the charge sheet that has been delayed for the last three years.

Umar Qayoom, 17, died at SKIMS hospital in Srinagar after his internal organs were damaged after police allegedly beat him during detention.

According to the hospital records, Qayoom had succumbed to injuries at the hospital due to “respiratory hypertension with severely deranged blood gases, diffuse intrapulmonary haemorrhage and blunt trauma on chest,”.

The police refused to file an FIR into the incident and after Court’s intervention an FIR (97/2018 under section 302 RPC) was registered registered in the Soura Police station after eight years, through their Council late Babar Qadri.

Qadri, was shot dead by militants last year, since then the family is contesting the case without any lawyer.

On 19 August, 2018, the court while pronouncing the order, asked the State that a special investigation team (SIT) should be constituted after registration of FIR against persons responsible for the killing of Qayoom.

Urzeeba, the deceased teenager’s sister, while talking to reporters, said that her brother was killed in police custody and was tortured brutally.

“We demand Justice. Since 2018, we are waiting for the police to file a chargesheet in the court of law but till date there is no progress,” Urzeeba, told reporters.

While carrying a placard demanding answers to her questions from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the “poor” justice system prevailing in the Valley.

“I want to ask our Prime Minister Modi who said in 2019 that there will be Naya Kashmir. I want to ask him, where is Naya Kashmir? Does it take 8 years to file an FIR and 3 years to file a chargesheet in Naya Kashmir? Is this Naya Kashmir?”

The family approached the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), JK State Human Rights Commission, National Human Rights Commission of India, and JK grievance cell but nothing happened on the ground.

The family says, the court had earlier given 42 days to police to present in the court with those involved in the crime but neither they appeared nor any action was taken later.

It is pertinent to mention here that after the killing of over 120 people during the Summer unrest in the year 2010 the government had constituted the one man commission headed by Justice (retd) ML Koul to probe the killings. The Commission had also recommended registration of cases against police personnel responsible for “custodial” the death of Umar.

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