Probe indicts police in Anantnag firing incident

A magisterial inquiry ordered by the Jammu and Kashmir government to probe into the June 29 firing incident in Anantang district, which left three teenagers dead, has indicted police and recommended appropriate action against them.

The report submitted to Anantnag deputy commissioner Jipal Singh by the probe team on Thursday evening has indicted police and also recommended action against some top officials of police and district administration who were present at the spot when the killing took place, officials said in Srinagar on Friday.

The 14-page report has established involvement of policemen in the firing that killed three youths identified as Ishtiyaq Ahmad (15) of S K Colony, Imtiyaz Ahmad Itoo (17) of Watergam-Dialgam and Shujat-ul-Islam (17) of Anchdora.

The report said, "Minutes before the incident took place, a Rakshak vehicle carrying six policemen including some officers chased the youth protesting at Laizbal area of K P Road up to the S K Colony, where they got down from the vehicle and three policemen entered a bylane leading towards Anchidora area where the incident took place."

As per the report, as the policemen entered the premises of house in Anchidora area, several gun shots were heard and seven person were found lying in a pool of blood.

"Some of the bullets were fired inside the compound of the residential house," the report said. The inquiry team also held responsible some top officials of police and civil administration in the district for delinquency in duties and suggested disciplinary action against them, the sources said.

"Though the policemen who fired on the youth after returning from the spot did conceal the facts before the higher-ups to hide their wrong doings, but the top police and civil administration officials who were supposed to preserve the circumstantial evidence exhibited utter negligence in finding the facts," the report said.

The report also blamed the police officers concerned of manipulating the FIR and not furnishing the accurate details about the use of ammunition by the accused policemen and recommended action against the policemen and other officials according to their level of "involvement in the crime".

The report said the accused policemen have already confessed to their crime during the course of investigation. The killing of the trio triggered violent protests in the town following which the magisterial inquiry was ordered by the government.