Two back-to-back incidents of police firing in Jammu in a span of 20 days has landed the BJP-PDP alliance Govt in soup here in Jammu & Kashmir.
It has not only muddied the track record of police force in relatively peaceful Jammu region but has also created a wedge between the local police and civil society.In both the cases, the police firing was ‘unwarranted’ and triggered unrest in the vicinity as it resulted in killing of a local youth.
In the first incident, when the police firing took place near Jammu airport on June 4, a Sikh youth was killed on the spot. He was shot in the head.
Police firing was ordered in the area after violent protests over the removal of a poster of Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale took an ugly turn in Ranibagh area ahead of his 31st death anniversary.
In the second firing incident which took place in broad daylight on June 21, jawans of special operation group (SOG) of State police opened fire on suspected narcotic smuggler near Domana after he attempted to flee from police custody. According to the police version three youth suspected to be narcotics smuggler were being shifted from Gandhi Nagar police station to Akhnoor from where they were picked up by the police late Saturday night. According to official sources, the firing took place when one of the three youth identified as Tarsem lal jumped from the vehicle and tried to ran away. Eye witness accounts, however, contradicted the police version claiming the youth were directed to step out and were fired upon from behind.
The family of the deceased youth hailing from Chinore area of Jammu has termed it a cold-blooded murder.
“My son was unarmed and no case was registered against him then why did police kill him in firing incident,” Shamsher Bhagat ageing father of the slain youth questioned. One of his elder brother claimed Tarsem was missing for past two days and Sunday afternoon we received the news that he has been shot dead. He claimed the family had not filed any missing report with the police.To contain public anger Social Welfare and Forest Minister Bali Bhagat, who represented the Domana Assembly constituency, responded swiftly and directed the DGP police K Rajendra to register an FIR against the SOG men who opened firing on the youth.
BJP Minister met the family of youth in Govt medical college hospital and also announced a sum of `5 lakh as compensation for the deceased family along with an assurance of Govt job for one of the kin of slain youth. At present the State police is investigating both the cases after registering FIR against their own men. A police constable was arrested in June 4 firing case while all five SOG mem were also put behind bars on Sunday evening after registration of case.“A separate probe was also ordered by the State Govt to be conducted by the Divisional commissioner Pawan Kotwal in the June 4 firing incident”,official sources said.