Pahnoo, Shopian killings: Police reply reveals, two militants, two OGWs killed, nothing adverse against other two

Petitioner says two those travelling in vehicles made scapegoats, dubbed as OGWs, demands probe

Srinagar : The police report submitted in the case of killing of four people at Pahnoo, Shopian in March this year submitted to the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has stated the of total six slain persons—two were Lashkar-e-Toiba militants, two Over Ground Workers(OGWs) while as nothing adverse was found against other two.

In a statement to Valley Media Service, a detailed reply filed by the SSP Shopian in response to the notices issued by the SHRC in the case SHRC-SGR/2018 states that with regard to the incident dated March 4, 2018 at around 8:15 pm complainant Major Praveen Menon of 44 RR  lodged a written report in police station Shopian to the effect that on the same day  by evening army men of his unit were busy in establishing  Mobile Vehicle Check Point near Pahnoo School and in the meantime a red Santroo and a sliver Swift VDI cars approached the MVCP and tried to jump over the MVCP. The reply states that soldiers challenged the occupants of both the cars but they didn’t not stop and opened fire from inside the cards upoun troops at the MVCP with intention to kill them and in the exchange of fire one militant and three OGWs were killed besides one weapon was recovered etc.

The police reply further states that during the course of investigation bodies of four persons indentified as Amir Ahmed Mlaik of Hermain, a militant of Lashkar-e-Toiba,  and Muhamamd Shahid Khan of Malikgund, Shopian, Shulak Wagay  of Pinjoor and Shahnawaz Ahmed Wagay of Trenz, were recovered from the site of incident. It states that the bodies were later handed over for the last rights to their respective family members.

The police reply said that  on the next day two more bodies identified as Gowhar Ahmed Lone  and Lashkar-e-Toiba militant Ashiq Hussain alias Abu Lukmaan of Rakhpora, Kapran who were injured in the same incident were also recovered from nearby Pahnoo and Saidpora villages by the people and were buried by them on their own.

During the investigations, it came to fore that the SWIFT and another Car used by the militants was hijacked by them and they were travelling in the same vehicle when intercepted by the MVCP at Pahnoo. During the investigations, it was found that two were LeT militants, two as OGWs and nothing adverse was found other two. The petitioner while expressing utter dissatisfaction over the police reply said that those who were travelling in the vehicle have been made scapegoats and labeled as OGWs. “It’s high time that this incident be probed impartially,” the petitioner said.