SRINAGAR: Manoj Sinha, the Lt Governor of Jammu and Kashmir has announced the attachment of the services of the Station House Officer (SHO) and constitution of a SIT to probe the killing of Rahul Bhat, the revenue clerk. The announcement came hours after the slain Bhat was consigned to flames in Jammu.
Pandits at many places in Kashmir continued their protests, seeking justice and were shouting slogans against the government. Police used force to disperse at least one of their protests in the city outskirts.
“A decision has been taken to constitute special investigative team to probe all the aspects of the despicable terror attack. The SHO of the concerned police station has also been attached,” Sinha said in one of the series of tweets on the killing of Bhat. “J&K administration to provide a government job to Rahul Bhat’s wife in Jammu and financial assistance to the family. The government will bear educational expenses of the daughter.”
The announcement came after Sinha met the relatives of Rahul Bhat and assured justice to the family. “In this hour of grief, the government stands firmly with Rahul’s family. Terrorists and their supporters will have to pay a very heavy price for their heinous act,” he said in another tweet.
A spokesman of the Jammu and Kashmir police, meanwhile, issued the following statement about teh developments in Sheikhpora Budgam where the residents had come on the road in protest against the killing:
“Today at about 1100hrs protesters who were protesting against the yesterday’s killing of an employee at Chadoora had blocked main Sheikhpora Budgam road since yesterday afternoon suddenly started moving towards Airport road.
Although the magistrate repeatedly requested & tried to pacify the protesters not to proceed towards the very busy & over crowded Airport road, however, protesters while ignoring such persuasions and repeated requests from the administration, kept on moving towards the said road while forcibly breaking all the physical barriers en-route and pushing the police & Security Forces who were peacefully trying to persuade/stop them from moving ahead. The protesters who were adamant to block the Airport road however did not pay any heed and instead managed to travel a distance of about one (1) kilometre from Sheikhpora.
Given the topography of the area and huge rush at the Airport road there were inputs that terrorists may take advantage of the same and may attack the protesters in order to create communal clash/tension.
Therefore in view of this, while sensing the security of the protesters who had resorted to violence and neglected the pacification requests by administration and to thwart evil designs of ANEs, police were constrained to finally hurl few teargas smokes to disperse them. However, the protesters again re-assembled at Sheikhpora road and sat on protest & blocked the main road. Later on all of them went back to their home.”
