Twenty-Five Years after he was allegedly tortured to death, a Srinagar court has directed the Police to constitute a Special Investigation team to probe the custodial killing of a Srinagar youth.
According to an order issued by the Additional Munsif Court dated October 28, 2021, the Police in Srinagar has been directed to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT).
Mohammed Ramzan Bhat, who was a resident of Miskeen Bagh area in Srinagar was allegedly killed in the custody during the intervening night of May 31 and June 1, 1996.
In 1996, Ramzan had returned home on 31 May after three days of election duty. After finishing his lunch, he left for his shop. Immediately after, loud gunshots were heard around the area. The Security personnel barged inside the shop of Ramzan and dragged him into the vehicle.
The next morning as the family reached the camp where Ramzan was lodged. Two young girls followed the family and told them two bullet ridden bodies were found in Miskeen Bagh. A dead body was found floating in a nearby water body. One of the bodies was that of Mohammed Ramzan.
The forces claimed that two Militants belonging to Zarb-ul-Mujahideen identified as Mohammad Ramzan Bhat and Mehraj ud Din Mir had been killed during an encounter.
Jameela, Ramzan’s wife, petitioned officials, including Srinagar’s SSP, to reopen the case, claiming that her husband was killed in a staged encounter.
The case was reopened and an SIT was formed by the SSP Srinagar in May 2006. The SIT, on the other hand, has not finished its probe into the case. The court viewed the SP North directive as insubordination and illegal in the perspective of the law, according to the court judgment.
It is quite sad that 25 years have passed since the case was filed in 1996, and the case has yet to be brought to its logical end, the court stated.
The investigations would be completed in six months by the SSP Srinagar.