'Identify those involved in human shield case'

The Jammu and Kashmir Police have asked the army to identify its personnel involved in tying a civilian to a jeep as a “human shield”, the video of which sparked outrage in the Valley.

“During investigation, correspondence has been made with the army for identification of involved army party/ vehicles,” stated the report submitted by the Jammu &Kashmir Police to the state Human Rights Commission.

The police had registered an FIR against unnamed army personnel on April 17 for tying Farooq Ahmad Dar of Chill Bras area in Budgam district to a jeep on April 13, the day re-poll was held for the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat.

According to the police investigation, Dar was used as a human shield under threat and was kept under wrongful confinement by the army. “Dar was tied to the bonnet of the army vehicle as a human shield under threat. He was kept under wrongful confinement and was paraded/moved within the area. Later on he was released,” the report stated.

The FIR had been registered under sections 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) and 367 (kidnapping or abducting in order to subject person to grievous hurt) of the Ranbir Penal Code.

The army had also ordered a Court of Inquiry (COI) on April 20 against the Major who tied Dar to the front of his jeep to “safeguard” paramilitary forces and polling staff from stone pelters. The COI has been given one month to complete the probe.

Civilian killed, 3 cops hurt in Srinagar
A civilian was killed and five others, including three policemen, injured when unidentified militants hurled a grenade at a police station in old city Srinagar on Sunday evening, reports DHNS.

A police official said the grenade was hurled at Khanyar Police Station, which missed the intended target and exploded on the roadside around 8.15 pm. Six people, including three policemen, received injures due to the blast.