Srinagar, Feb 01, KDC: Even after 29 years have passed since the Border Security Forces (BSF) men killed five civilians and took dead body of one of the civilian with them and never returned the same to his family. The Justice is still eluding to the victim families of the Ajas village of North Kashmir’s Bandipora district as even an FIR has not been lodged against the culprits.
The INCIDENT
Recalling the fateful day of February 01, 1992, the locals say the memories still hunt them when paramilitary troops of BSF opened fire on civilians killing 6 of them while injuring dozens others.
It was Mehraj-e-Alam day, (Birthday of Prophet Mohammad), the troops of BSF came and announced crackdown in the area using the Public Address System of the local mosques. Locals said it was cold and people were offering special prayers in Mosques since previous night.
They said the elders of the village requested BSF men not to lay siege in the village owing to the Mehraj-u-Alam. However BSF troops refused and asked people to assemble in a local ground and abused the elders.
They said the people resisted and refused to assemble according to their dictate and instead carried out a peaceful protest march foiling their attempt.
“Our refusal to accept their dictate infuriated the BSF officers who first left the village and then returned with more forces and fired indiscriminately,” said one of the eyewitness.
“They started beating and dragged us to the lawns of Jamia masjid as it was planned to kill us,“ he recounts amid tears.
“After that an officer came to the lawns opened his pistol and fired from point blank range killing six persons and ordered his men to fire indiscriminately in which more than dozens got injured,” he added.
He said after the incident, BSF took one Governemnt Employee- Wali Rehman Khan with them and later killed him under custody and even denied his body.
Pertinently, In 2017, President, International Forum for Justice and Human Rights (IFJHR) , Mohammad Ahsan Untoo had filed petition before the state human rights commission seeking identification of guilty forces personnel and the exgratia to next of kin of slain.
Untoo said that I have filed the petition in the 2017 and notice was issued to Home Deptt J&K and DGP Police, later a reply was also submitted in SHRC adding that the case is still pending after the move of BJP led govt. abrogated the Special Status.
He said because of the non cooperation of Police the probe remained hanging since 1992. (KDC)
