A local court on Tuesday has sent one of the last accused in 1996 Saderkoot Bala massacre case to judicial custody.
The accused was produced before the court by police in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district.
An official told news agency—Kashmir News Observe (KNO), that the territorial Army (TA) soldier identified as Mohammad Aqoub Dar a resident of Hakbara was produced before principal district and sessions court Bandipora after he was arrested by the police on Sunday.
An official said that Wali was sent to judicial custody by the principal district and sessions judge Bandipora and shall face the trial.
“He has been sent to central jail Srinagar and police has been directed to produce him on 05 November 2021 for hearing of the case,” he said.
A day after the massacre, the Sumbal police had filed a first information report FIR no. 125/1996 u/s 302, 307, 325, 341 RPC 7/27 arms and booked nine Ikhwan members.
Aqoub was the last accused involved in the brutal murder of seven people including five men and two women of Saderkoot Bala village of Bandipora district in 1996 as seven of them (accused) including a notorious government gunman Rashid Billa of Hajin have since been shot dead by suspected militants while another surviving accused Wali Mohammad Mir son of Mohammad Maqsood Mir a resident of Saderkoot is under judicial custody since March 2019.
After the arrest of the accused, the court recalled the proclamation U/S 512 CrPC. Court directed the police to produce the accused before the court on November 05 for framing of charges against him—(KNO)