Only Kashmir News Desk
Srinagar, Jan 09 (Only Kashmir): Prominent Track II diplomat and Chairman Centre for Peace and Progress O.P. Shah has shot an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding impartial probe into the killing of three youth Ajaz Maqbool Ganie, Athar Mushtaq Wani and Zubair Ahmad Lone by the Indian Army’s 02 Rashtriya Rifles unit in the Lawaypora area of Srinagar on 30 December 2020.
Pertinently, the Jammu & Kashmir Police has stated that the three were recruits of The Resistance Front, which the bereaved families do not agree with. The encounter, which involved the Army’s 2 Rashtriya Rifles, came barely three days after a revelation by the police that last year’s Amshipora encounter in Shopian was staged.
The police, in multiple tweets posted recently, stated that the militants were given a chance to surrender but they refused. They released videos purportedly of the house where the three alleged militants were holding up and claimed that they were repeatedly asked to surrender.
Pertinent to mention here, Days after “ReturnTheBodies” campaign gathered steam on social media, Lt Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, broke his silence on the alleged fake encounter in Lawaypora, Srinagar, on December 30 and gave an assurance that the questions surrounding the killing would be addressed at the “appropriate time”.
O.P. Shah in his letter addressed to PM Modi said “I would urge the Government of India and the administration of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir to conduct an independent, impartial and thorough investigation of this encounter, which the families of the dead young men allege was a “fake encounter.”
Here is full text of the letter:
CENTRE FOR PEACE & PROGRESS
7B Everest House, 46C, J L Nehru Road, Kolkata 700071
Phone: (033) 2288-3249/3701, EMail:opshah.shah@gmail.com
January 08, 2021
Shri. Narendra Modi,
Prime Minister Of India.
New Delhi.
30 December 2020 killings in Srinagar
Dear Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modiji:
I am writing to express my concern with regards to the killing of the three young men – namely, Ajaz Maqbool Ganie, Athar Mushtaq Wani and Zubair Ahmad Lone – by the Indian Army’s 02 Rashtriya Rifles unit in the Lawaypora area of Srinagar on 30 December 2020.
I would urge the Government of India and the administration of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir to conduct an independent, impartial and thorough investigation of this encounter, which the families of the dead young men allege was a “fake encounter.” This allegation by the families of the deceased is further bolstered by the following information from recent media reports:
- None of the deceased had any police record or other record of being politically active.
- None of the deceased was listed in the police’s database of active militants.
- Security personnel failed to make any effort to involve the families of the deceased to appeal to the alleged militants to surrender.
- Frequently, dying militants tend to call their family members in their final hours – it is quite extraordinary that none of the deceased attempted to contact their family members.
- The residents of the relevant neighborhood contest the military’s assertion that the deceased were given several opportunities to surrender.
- The Government should also sympathetically consider the demand of the family members to be handed over the bodies of deceased persons.
- If we are to win back the hearts and minds of Kashmiris , “fake encounters” have to be completely eliminated and, therefore, it is incumbent upon the Government of India and its security forces to thoroughly investigate any suspicious encounter and to ensure that in cases where the security forces have perpetrated illegal killings, justice is done in a timely manner.
With Regards,
Yours Sincerely,
O.P. Shah
Chairman
