SC asks J&K status report in 10 days on cop's disappearance

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Jammu and Kashmir Police to file within 10 days a status report on its investigation into the case of Constable Sameer Bhatt, allegedly killed by his colleague though the body has not been recovered.

The court also sought the Centre's response on a plea for the transfer of the case investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

A vacation bench of Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice Deepak Gupta was hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by M.K. Pandita, an advocate and leader of migrant Kashmiri pundits in Delhi, petitioner's lawyer M.C. Dhingra said.

The court will hear the matter on June 19, he said.

Bhatt had gone to Pahalgam on May 14 along with a Constable colleague Eijaz Ahmed in the latter's car to visit Bhatt's uncle Dileep Bhatt, serving in the police at Pahalgam but transferred to Kupwara.

After dropping Bhatt at Kupwara, Eijaz returned to Srinagar on May 14 but Bhatt did not return home thereafter.

Upon inquiries from Bhatt's family, Eijaz allegedly gave different and contradictory versions about the missing man's whereabouts.

The state police constituted a Special Investigation Team attached to the Shergarhi police station in Srinagar. During investigation, Eijaz allegedly confessed that he killed Bhatt after the latter sexually assaulted him.

The police then registered a fresh case and the investigation was transferred to Handwara police station in Kupwara district, a move Pandita alleged was to derail the SIT investigation.

Pandita contended that "due to varying versions given by Eijaz Ahmed it is not certain that Sameer Bhatt has been murdered. So long as his body is not recovered or substantiating evidence is not collected that he is dead he is presumed to be alive, but in captivity".

The transfer of the case from Shergarhi police station in Srinagar to Handwara police station in Kupwara district is aimed at hampering the SIT investigation in an attempt to save Eijaz Ahmed in the case of the disappearance of Sameer Bhatt, the petitioner contended.

--IANS

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