Srinagar: The family members of Gowhar Nazir killed in CRPF firing on Saturday refused the police claims that their son was hit by tear gas shell and said that medical report suggested his death due to bullet injury.Gowhar Nazir
They also denied that their ward had participated in the protests and threw any stone on security forces.
Gowhar, according to his family had gone, along with his cousin, to shop to bring milk. “He went to buy milk outside on shop. The two CRPF vehicles rushed towards the same area and fired upon them, injuring him critically,” said his father Nazir.
He said his son had a bullet wound that was also confirmed by doctors at SKIMS where he was treated upon before his death.
“They (CRPF) shot him from point blank range. He was not killed by any teargas shell as police and CRPF has claimed,” Dar added.
He said his son was not part of any protests that were going on at Srinagar-Muzafferabad highway.
“My son was not participating in any protests. Our home is 1 kilometre away from the Srinagar-Baramulla Highway. He had gone to buy milk from market,” said Dar, who lives in Mustafabad colony of Zainakote in Srinagar outskirts.
Gowhar, 21, was an engineering student at SSM Parihaspora in Pattan and was killed on Saturday evening hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had left Srinagar after addressing rally.
Dar said eyewitnesses told him that there was no stone pelting going on when his son and his cousin went to the market to buy milk.
“Two CRPF vehicles came rushing from 44-CRPF camp, located in HMT watch factory and the men in uniform came down from it along with their officer in track suit showered bullets on my son near Masjid Ahlihaddes in Zainakoot at 5.15 pm,” he said, quoting eyewitnesses.
“He was rushed to JVC and then SKIMS where he succumbed,” he said.
Deputy Inspector General of Police, Central Kashmir, Ghulam Hassan Bhat had on Saturday told KNS that Gowhar Ahmad Dar was hit by a tear gas shell in his head.
However, PRO CRPF Bhavesh Chaudhary had told KNS: “Both police and CRPF were present there to disperse the mob that was pelting the camp with stones. Both fired shells,” Chaudhary told media.
The magisterial inquiry ordered by government was also not endorsed by the victim’s family as they have no faith in Kashmir’s judicial system
The inquiry was entrusted to Additional Deputy Commissioner Srinagar M.A. Baba.
“What has happened to the hundreds of inquiries which the governments have ordered into the killings of hundreds of other youth like my son,” questions Nazir. “Which policeman or other security forces’ men has been punished till now for killing our innocent youth,” the crestfallen father asked.
He said the inquiries are ordered simply to douse the anger on streets emanating out of innocent killings but not changing the repressive course of state against its people. “Nothing will emerge from this inquiry. No one will be punished.” with inputs from KNS
