CRPF 'kills' carpenter in Pakherpora

CRPF 'kills' carpenter in Pakherpora

TARIQ ALI MIR

Srinagar, Mar 18: Barely a few hours after the union home minister, P Chidambaram, assured action against troopers found guilty for Bomai killings, paramilitary CRPF troopers allegedly shot dead a carpenter, Ghulam Mohiudin Malik son of Muhammad Akbar Malik, at Khaigam Pakherpora in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Wednesday.
“Troopers of 181 battalion CRPF summoned the village chowkidar, Nazir Ahmed Magray, to their camp this evening and asked him to accompany them to search the victim’s house,” locals told Greater Kashmir over phone from Pakherpora.
“Troopers barged into Malik’s house and started beating up the inmates mercilessly. They dragged Malik out of his house and shot him dead without any provocation,” they said. “After hearing the gunshots, locals rushed towards Malik’s house and tried to stop the troopers from fleeing away. However, they managed their escape under the cover of aerial firing. We took the victim to Pakherpora hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.”
The killing triggered massive anti-India and anti-CRPF demonstrations in the area and locals refused to bury the slain carpenter, who is survived by wife and four minor children. “We will not bury him till the erring troopers are punished,” locals said. Protests were continuing when the reports last came in.
When contacted, the public relation officer, CRPF, Prabhakar Triphati, said, “Troopers had received a tip-off about presence of two militants in the village. That’s why troopers asked numberdar to accompany them. As the search party was heading towards the village, militants present there opened fire, which was retaliated triggering a brief encounter. However, militants managed to escape from the spot. After the troopers conducted the searches they found the body of the carpenter. He was killed in cross firing.”
Locals termed CRPF’s version as a “blatant lie.” “Had it been a search operation, police would have accompanied them. They had cordoned off the victim’s house with the intention to kill him,” they said.
The station house officer, Rajpora, expressed ignorance about the incident. “CRPF didn’t inform us. I just heard that a man had been killed and I’m rushing towards the spot,” he added.

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