Abid Bashir
Srinagar (NVI): Jammu and Kashmir police today said that it will go for DNA tests of all three “slain militants” who were killed in the July 18 encounter at Shopian district and also check the call details of the trio to find out their possible links with the terrorists.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of full dress rehearsal parade at SK Stadium in Srinagar, a day ahead of the Independence-Day function, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Vijay Kumar said that police is working on two aspects of the July 18 Shopian encounter case.
“First is that we will go for DNA cross-examination of slain with the three families that claim three militants killed were their wards. We have already taken the DNA samples of all three slain as part of our procedure of dealing with the militant bodies,” the IGP said. “Today a team headed by DySP Wajahat has left for Rajouri district to complete the legal formalities.”
The second thing, the IGP said police will check the call details of all the three slain to find out whether they were in touch with militants, besides other technical details. “No conclusion can be drawn at this point,” the Kashmir police chief said.
The families of three missing youth from Rajouri have claimed on the basis of pictures gone viral on social media that their wards, who were working as labourers in Shopian district, were killed in the Shopian encounter. They have told police that the three were living in a rented accommodation in Ashmipora area of Shopian and were not terrorists.
Social media was abuzz with the posts from netizens that the encounter that took place on July 18 at Shopian was “stage-managed.” The Army has also taken cognizance of the social media posts and ordered an inquiry.
The family members of three youths and Amnesty International have demanded an independent and transparent probe. The families of three Rajouri youth had also approached concerned authorities in Rajouri to seek permission to travel to Kashmir and demand exhumation of bodies for identification.
Meanwhile, on August 15 I-Day preparations, the IGP Kashmir said that foolproof security arrangements have been put in place along with ground and aerial surveillance. “All security agencies are maintaining a close synergy to foil any possible attack by militants. Militant presence is there but we are ready to foil all their plans and ensure smooth conduct of I-Day function across Kashmir including Srinagar,” the IGP said.
He has also urged people to cooperate with the security forces during the frisking operations that have been intensified across the Valley, especially Srinagar.
-ARK
