Book forces involved in Nawakadal killing under 302: IFJHR

Srinagar: Taking strong cognizance of the use of lethal weapons by government forces while dealing with law and order situation, the International Forum for Justice and Human Rights -JK (IFJHR-JK) vetoes for use of such weapons and demands that culprits involved in Wednesday’s killing of Nawakadal be brought to book. The forum has also called for probe by State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) into the incident.

“We demand that forces involved in killing of a youth Bashir Ahmad Bhat son of Ghulam Hassan Bhat resident of Gratbal Nawakadal in Old City’s Nawakadal be booked under section 302,RPC as the firing was totally unprovoked,” chairman IFJHR-JK Muhammad Ahsan Untoo said on Thursday.

He said there is no justification of using lethal weapons in self defence as forces claim but the protesters can be dealt in a manner that may not tend to claim their lives or render them disabled. “The forces can use such weapons only if the opposite party too is in possession of some life-taking tool or vice-versa,” he said.

Untoo also questioned the intention of government forces that they did it all under “self defence” and said majority of the injured persons are targetted above abdomen. “What can be the better excuse for them (forces) to issue such silly statements while the innocent people continue to lose their lives. Stones cannot be countered by bullets in any way,” he said.

Rubuffing the magesterial inquiry ordered by government in the Nawakadal killing, the HR forum chairman said such probes are meant only to pacify the public fury and to add to the list of already unprobed cases. “Till date, there have been around 783 magesterial inquiries ordered by the government since past two decades but to no avail. Such kind of  probes only boost the spirit of forces and they should be held accountable for their acts,” Untoo vowed, adding the incident should be probed independently by SHRC.