Youth succumbs to firearm injuries, constable suspended
Security forces foil separatists’ march to Shopian against April 1 encounters in the Valley that saw the death of 13 terrorists, 5 civilians and 3 soldiers
Jammu and Kashmir Police on Wednesday suspended a constable a day after it began an inquiry into the death of a 23-year-old youth who was injured in clashes in Ganderbal district earlier this week.
Selection grade constable Gulzar Ahmad was suspended pending inquiry into the death based on his prima facie involvement in the case. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Ganderbal, Fayaz Ahmad Lone confirmed the development.
Gowhar Ahmad Rather succumbed to a firearm injury in his head at Srinagar’s Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences on Tuesday evening.
Police said in a press statement on Tuesday that they ordered a departmental inquiry into the “sequence of events and actions related to the incident”.
The deputy commissioner (DC) of Ganderbal ordered a magisterial inquiry into Rather’s death.
The inquiry report is expected in 20 days.
Meanwhile, authorities foiled a march to Shopian called by separatists in protest against the encounters on Sunday in south Kashmir that saw the killing of 13 militants, four civilians and three army soldiers. Rather was the fifth civilian to be killed in the ongoing spate of violence in Kashmir.
Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq were detained by police as they tried to march from their residences to Shopian.
On Monday and Tuesday, Kashmir had observed a shutdown in response to the call by the separatists.
On Wednesday, fearing law and order problems due to the proposed march, authorities decided to close all educational institutions and scheduled exams got postponed. Local train services in the restive Valley have also been suspended for the third consecutive day.