Moderate Hurriyat approaches NHRC over Narbal killing

Ishfaq Tantry

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, April 18

Seeking dismissal from service and arrest of CRPF personnel suspected of killing a youth at Narbal in north Kashmir in a firing incident today, the moderate Hurriyat Conference, headed by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, approached the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) with a petition.

Though the Hurriyat blamed the CRPF for the killing, the J&K Police in its initial statement have not confirmed that the CRPF had opened fire. They identified the accused as only “forces” in the statement.

This is the second such petition wherein the amalgam has approached the NHRC for action against the armed forces involved in civilian killings. Earlier, the Hurriyat had approached the rights’ commission with a petition involving the killing of a youth, Khalid Myuzaffar Wani, by the Army in the Tral area of south Kashmir on Monday, April 13.

Terming the firing incident at Narbal Budgam, in which a 17-year-old youth, Suhail Ahmad, was killed allegedly by CRPF personnel this morning, as “unfortunate” the Hurriyat has prayed for punishing the guilty.

The Hurriyat in its petition filed through Hurriyat Legal Cell head Manan Buklhari said it had been submitted that the “government forces once again have failed to adhere to the standard operational procedure (SOP) and have resorted to firing directly at the vital parts of the victims.”