Body of youth shot dead at Abdullah residence laid to rest in Jammu

The body of a man shot dead by the security guards posted at the residence of former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah was laid to rest here today amid massive protests.

Hundreds of protesters, carrying the body of Syeed Murfad Shah (25), blocked the Jammu-Bantalab road near his Chinore residence for several hours today.

They demanded that an FIR be registered against the security personnel and the case handed over to the Crime Branch of state police for a thorough probe. The protesters also called for releasing the CCTV footage of the incident.

The government has already ordered a magisterial probe.

According to police, the man rammed his car into the front gate of the residence of Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah at Bhatindi in the outskirts of Jammu yesterday, and vandalised the house before being shot dead by the CRPF personnel guarding the premises.

Sub-divisional Magistrate, Jammu North, Mohammad Alyas Khan was appointed as the inquiry officer. Speaking to protesters, Khan said he would ensure a 'fair and transparent' probe was conducted.

"We want justice for the man who was killed in mysterious circumstances. They are claiming that he crashed his vehicle with the gate before entering the highly guarded residence... Neither the gate nor the vehicle had suffered any damage," one of the mourners said.

Later, 'Nimaz-e-Jinazah' (prayer before the burial) was offered and the deceased was laid to rest at a local graveyard.

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party patron and Executive Chairman of State Legal Aid Committee Bhim Singh urged Governor N N Vohra to institute a high power judicial inquiry by a sitting judge of the high court.

"The state Legal Aid Committee has collected evidence and felt that Shah was killed without any cause or reason," Singh said in a statement here.

"This is also admitted that the deceased had no weapon or anything in his hand or in the car. The facts lead to the conclusion that it was a pre-planned murder," he added.

Singh said the committee would move the Supreme Court if the governor failed to hold an independent inquiry into the incident.