Shopian: 4 police officials arrested

Srinagar: Four police officers, including the then Shopian Superintendent of Police, Javed Iqbal, were arrested on Wednesday in connection with the alleged rape and murder of two women in Shopian. The action followed a Jammu and Kashmir High Court order to arrest the suspended officials.

Hearing a PIL petition filed by the Kashmir Bar Association, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Barin Gosh and Justice Mohammad Yaqub Mir directed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case to arrest all the four officials named in the FIR for alleged destruction of evidence so that the probe could be expedited.

The others arrested by the SIT headed by Inspector-General (Kashmir range) Farooq Ahmed were Deputy SP Rohit Baskota, SHO Shafiq Ahmed and Sub-Inspector Gazi Abdul Rehman.

The court directed the SIT to get the blood samples of the four officers in the presence of the court registrar. It said no relief, including bail, should be granted by any court to them and all such requests should be sent to the High Court.

“The report [submitted by the SIT] has suggested that those police officers are being interrogated. However, they have not yet been arrested. We feel that the arrest of those officers followed by collection of their blood samples for the purpose of preparation of DNA profile” and matching it with the vaginal semen of the deceased ladies would expedite the probe,” the court said.

It said that if the SIT deemed it fit to conduct a narco-analysis test on the two witnesses, it could inform the Centre, which would obtain an early date for the test from the Forensic Science Laboratory in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

Citing a suggestion in the SIT report that strands of human hair were found from a vehicle, the court said they should be sent to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory, CBI, New Delhi for preparing a DNA profile.

“The report [of the SIT] suggests that there is a possibility of pinpointing a troops carrier vehicle which may have been involved in the crime with which we are concerned.”

“After DNA profile of such hairs and of the younger victim are prepared, let the same be matched,” the court said and fixed July 23 as the next date of hearing in the case.

Counsel for Mr. Javed Iqbal in New Delhi said he would move the Supreme Court on Thursday challenging the arrest as his client was being targeted for political mileage.

“Even if the investigations have to be carried for destruction of evidence [Section 201 of the RPC], it is a bailable offence,” counsel said.

Srinagar: Four police officers, including the then Shopian Superintendent of Police, Javed Iqbal, were arrested on Wednesday in connection with the alleged rape and murder of two women in Shopian. The action followed a Jammu and Kashmir High Court order to arrest the suspended officials.

Hearing a PIL petition filed by the Kashmir Bar Association, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Barin Gosh and Justice Mohammad Yaqub Mir directed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case to arrest all the four officials named in the FIR for alleged destruction of evidence so that the probe could be expedited.

The others arrested by the SIT headed by Inspector-General (Kashmir range) Farooq Ahmed were Deputy SP Rohit Baskota, SHO Shafiq Ahmed and Sub-Inspector Gazi Abdul Rehman.

The court directed the SIT to get the blood samples of the four officers in the presence of the court registrar. It said no relief, including bail, should be granted by any court to them and all such requests should be sent to the High Court.

“The report [submitted by the SIT] has suggested that those police officers are being interrogated. However, they have not yet been arrested. We feel that the arrest of those officers followed by collection of their blood samples for the purpose of preparation of DNA profile” and matching it with the vaginal semen of the deceased ladies would expedite the probe,” the court said.

It said that if the SIT deemed it fit to conduct a narco-analysis test on the two witnesses, it could inform the Centre, which would obtain an early date for the test from the Forensic Science Laboratory in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

Citing a suggestion in the SIT report that strands of human hair were found from a vehicle, the court said they should be sent to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory, CBI, New Delhi for preparing a DNA profile.

“The report [of the SIT] suggests that there is a possibility of pinpointing a troops carrier vehicle which may have been involved in the crime with which we are concerned.”

“After DNA profile of such hairs and of the younger victim are prepared, let the same be matched,” the court said and fixed July 23 as the next date of hearing in the case.

Counsel for Mr. Javed Iqbal in New Delhi said he would move the Supreme Court on Thursday challenging the arrest as his client was being targeted for political mileage.

“Even if the investigations have to be carried for destruction of evidence [Section 201 of the RPC], it is a bailable offence,” counsel said.