KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
On 22 March 2016, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court granted J&K police a last chance to complete investigations and arrest the accused in FIR no 125/1996 relating to the 5 October 1996 Sadrakoot massacre.
Pursuant to the above order, the police approached the Court of Judicial Magistrate, Sumbal for directions towards the satisfaction of the High Court order.
On 11 April 2016, the Judicial Magistrate found that the three accused in the case – Abdul Rashid Parray alias Rashid Billa, Wali Mohammad Mir and Mohammad Ayoub Dar – were concealing themselves and declared them to be “proclaimed offenders”, a JKCCS statement said Tuesday evening.
The court directed that the police: a) publish a written proclamation in a widely circulated newspaper requiring the three accused to appear before the lower court within 30 days, b) read the proclamation publicly in a conspicuous place of the town/village in which the accused reside, c) affix the proclamation in some conspicuous part of the house in which the accused ordinarily resides, and most importantly, that the Deputy Commissioner, Bandipora attach the immovable and movable property of the three accused by taking possession by seizure.
20 years after the massacre, the efforts of the family members of the victims have put pressure on the State to take serious steps to arrest the accused. The case will be heard by the High Court in the week beginning 25 April 2016.
