Days after the killing of three teenaged boys in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district that sparked widespread violence in the town, the J&K government has ordered a magisterial probe to look into the civilian deaths.
“I have ordered a magisterial probe into the civilians killings,” said deputy commissioner Anantnag, JP Singh. “The probe will be conducted by additional district commissioner, Anantnag and he will submit the final report in 15 days.”
Singh said that the probe will look into the circumstances that led to the death of three young men.
Three young men?Imtiyaz Ahmed Itoo, 17, of Wanihama Wadigam, Shujat-ul-Islam Baba, 17, of Anchdora and Ishtiaq Ahmed Khanday, 15, of Sher-e-Kashmir Colony Anantnag?were killed Tuesday afternoon when the police allegedly fired on protesters.
In fact, the senior National Conference leader and MP, Mehboob Beig termed the killing of the three on June 29 at the Sher-e- Kashmir colony as ‘cold-blooded murder’. “No one in the town is convinced by the official version of the killings. Everyone has apprehensions as the three youth were hit on the shoulders, chest and neck. We must know the truth,” Beig said.
The locals allege that the police firing was unprovoked as they opened fire not only on protesters but on bystanders as well at the Sher-e-Kashmir Colony in Anantnag.
This is the second probe ordered by the J&K government in the past fortnight over the civilian killings. After the killing of two protesters -?Shakeel Ahmad Gania, 24, and Firdous Ahmad Khan, 21?last Friday when the CRPF opened fire on a protest march in north Kashmir Sopore town, the J&K government ordered a judicial probe into the incident and asked the chairperson of the State Human Rights Commission, Retired Justice Syed Bashir-ud-din, to probe into the matter to determine the people responsible for the deaths. The Sopore killing sparked massive unrest in the entire Valley, which spilled to other parts.
