PDP flays JK govt on Sophian incident

Opposition PDP today rejected Jammu and Kashmir Police's statement that the fourth man killed in CRPF firing at Shopian on September 7 was a militant, saying it amounts to a "clean chit" to the paramilitary force before any probe has taken place.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said the latest government version on September 7 incident is "revulsive".
Inspector General of Police Kashmir Abdul Gani Mir yesterday said it has been established that the fourth person killed in the September 7 firing incident was Lashkar-e-Toiba militant Abdullah Haroon.
"The statement of Inspector General of Police amounts to a clean chit to the CRPF even before any investigation has taken place.

"The police have acted as judge, jury and the prosecutor; burying another tragedy under unrelated and un-established accusations against the victims," she said in a statement.
Mehbooba claimed that the police version of the incident has eliminated any possibility of further investigation into the incident.

"Though, over few days, the (ruling) National Conference leaders have been making demands that the Centre should take action against the CRPF, but it is their government which gave the CRPF clean chit," she said.
The PDP president said on the one hand, the police very recently claimed that they had contacted Bihar police to establish the antecedents of the unidentified fourth victim.

"But without taking people into confidence on the progress of that reference, it virtually brought the rabbit out of the magic hat by giving a name to the dead body and tagging it as that of a terrorist," she said.