A day after journalists in Kashmir staged protest against lackadaisical approach of the State authorities in probing the killing of noted journalist Shujaat Bukhari; police remained tight-lipped on the investigation even as reports suggested that assailants have been identified.
Police have refuted reports that any statement has been issued relating to the Press enclave attack that resulted into killing of Bukhari and his two bodyguards on June 14 evening.
Reports claiming unknown sources said the Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the authorities to probe the high-profile killing have identified three persons for their involvement.
They include two terrorists from South Kashmir region and a lashkar-e-Tayyeba terrorist of Pakistani origin Naved Jatt who escaped from custody on February 6 from a hospital in Srinagar after killing two policemen escorting him.
Police sources said the investigation was going on but there was no breakthrough. “We have got certain leads but the investigation has not been completed,” a source told The Pioneer.
Kashmir Zone Police in a twitter statement said no Press release has been issued so far regarding the investigation (into Shujaat Bukhari case). “We seek the cooperation of media for this,” the tweet read.
The assumptions on the identity of attackers have been made on the CCTV footage that shows three bikers crossing over a bridge shortly after Shujaat was felled outside his office. The rider has hidden his face with helmet while the pillion has covered his face with a mask. A short-statured person is holding a bag in the middle with his face hidden behind the biker’s back. It is suspected that the person holding the bag is Naved Jatt who is carrying assault rifles used in the attack.
The report has appeared a day after a large contingent of journalists held a silent protest against the killing of their senior colleague and demanded time-bound probe to unmask the perpetrators of the heinous crime.
Bukhari was the proprietor and editor of a conglomerate of newspapers, including English daily Rising Kashmir, Urdu daily Buland Kashmir and weekly Kashmir Parcham and Kashmiri daily Sangarmal.
Police have constituted a SIT headed by Deputy Inspector General of Police (Central Kashmir) to probe the killing. At least one suspect, who was found at the murder site stealing service weapon of a slain policeman was arrested but there was no further headway in the probe.
The journalists marched from Press Enclave to lal Chowk and staged a silent sit-in. Kashmir Editors’ Guild (KEG) had organised the protest march supported by journalists of all hues. Veteran journalists Muhammad Sayeed Malik, Zafar Meraj, Jeelani Qadri, Manzoor Anjum and Anuradha Bashin Jamwal were part of the protest march.
Meanwhile, clashes broke out in Bellow village of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Wednesday during a cordon-and-search-operation launched by a joint party of security forces. Sources said there were reports that a group of terrorists was hiding in the area. Sources said the suspected terrorists escaped the encounter area. The deployments were in the area amid public sloganeering when last reports came in from the region.