It was for the first time in the history of J&K that a sitting Chief Minister was accused of a murder! But the accusation did not last long. The one-man Bedi commission was constituted by the state after opposition parties openly accused Omar of getting a party fixer, Haji Syed Mohammad Yusuf Shah murdered. The commission exonerated Omar and his aides and instead held two police personnel, a deputy Superintendent of Police- Bashir Ahmad and a constable Nazir Ahmad, responsible for not discharging their duties properly.
The commission said Shah had died of heart attack and no suspicious circumstances could be spelt out. Shah was called at Omar’s residence to confirm the allegations of taking money from two NC workers for fetching them berths in Legislative Council and the state council of minister. Omar had reportedly handed him over to the crime branch on Sept 29, 2011 where he died in mysterious condition.
National Conference was the only party seen welcoming this report. Others including the family of the deceased and the opposition criticized it for its authenticity. They alleged that the CM didn’t attend any of the trials of the commission and the report was an eye wash.
For now, Omar has been given a clean chit in the case but Shah’s family is planning to challenge the report in the Supreme Court. It would be interesting to know the follow-up in the case if the apex court admits the case where a commoner, the deceased’s family, would be standing against the state’s most powerful man, the CM.
As They Said…
“No, I have no idea. I do not remember even their name. It is something that starts with a T.”
Shahrukh Khan, while talking about his ancestral connection with Kashmir. He was here for few days to shoot for his film ‘Jab Tak Hain Jaan’.
