KL Report
SRINAGAR
Amid shutdown and protest Soura in the outskirts of Srinagar city observed the fourth death anniversary of 17-year old Umar Qayoom of Soura, who according to family, died in police custody on 25 August 2010 during the summer unrest.
Father of the deceased youth, Abdul Qayoom told CNS after the decimation of National Conference in recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, he had pinned hopes on Chief Minister Omar Abdullah that he would help him in getting the FIR registered in this regard, but according to him the Chief Minister disappointed him and to his surprise the security-men on the instructions of Chief Minister dragged him and his 17 years old daughter out from Gupkar mansion when both of them sought justice from him.
He said that even after a lapse of 4 years, no FIR has been lodged by police in the case. “We approached State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) but it headless and no judgment came from the Commission in this regard.”
Abdul Qayoom said they have been repeatedly approaching the police for registering FIR in the case, “but to no avail.”
“A top police official approached us several times asking me to withdraw the case in lieu of monetary benefits and job, but I bluntly refused to do so,” he said adding that the culprits allegedly involved in the killing of his son should be booked without any delay.
“We want justice. We want the policemen who tortured Umar to death to be brought to justice,” he said.
Umar breathed his last at SKIMS on August 25, 2010. A class 11th student, Umar, according to family was picked up by police on August 20 along with two other youth- Amir Bashir Sheikh son of Bashir Ahmad of Umarheir, Buchpora, and Irshad Ahmad Bhat son of Ghulam Qadir of Dar Mohalla, Soura, during protests and stone-pelting incident in Malik Sahab locality.
However, the trio was granted bail a few days later by a court and they were accordingly released.
Qayoom said police brutally tortured his son in custody and didn’t allow him to take his son to hospital. “At the time of his arrest my son was thrashed against an iron shutter of a shop and an electric pole,” he said and added; “We don’t want any other family to suffer like this. The ‘killers’ must be punished so that it acts as a deterrent in future,” he asserted.
Meanwhile, Soura market observed a shutdown to mark the fourth death anniversary of the slain youth. All the shops and business establishments were shut while traffic was off the road.
