Murder case against BSF jawans

Jammu and Kashmir Police on Sunday registered a murder case against Border Security Force (BSF) personnel for killing a youth at the Batamaloo area of Srinagar on Saturday evening.

The FIR was registered against the BSF men involved in the killing of 23-year-old Sajad Hussain Sheikh.

The police approached BSF authorities and urged them to hand over the accused to them, sources said.

Sheikh was killed on Sunday evening after BSF men from the 38 Battalion opened fire on a group of youngsters near Reck Chowk in the congested Batamaloo area.

The BSF spokesman in Srinagar said that an internal inquiry into the allegations of the firing which led to Sheikh’s death has prima facie revealed that the firing by the paramilitary personnel was responsible for his death.

He said the incident occurred when a small convoy of the BSF was passing through the area and came under stone-pelting.

“Some youths attempted to snatch a service rifle from one of our jawans which prompted his colleagues to fire a few aerial shots. Unfortunately, one of the bullets hit the youth who died,” the spokesman said.

Regretting the incident, the BSF said it was ready to cooperate with the police investigation.

A police officer said BSF Sub Inspector Rajinder Baghde of the 38 Battalion, who was heading the small convoy consisting of three vehicles, submitted a report of the incident to the police.

The BSF officer insisted that the security forces opened fire when they came under heavy stone-pelting and “there was a bid by the youth to snatch rifle from one of the personnel who was part of the convoy.”