2009 Shopian 'rape-murder' case: Two J&K doctors sacked over false autopsy report
Samaan Lateef
Srinagar, June 22
The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Thursday terminated the services of two doctors for allegedly fabricating evidence in the 2009 Shopian “rape and murder” case.
On May 30, 2009, the bodies of 22-year-old Nilofar Jan and her 17-year-old sister-in-law Asiya Jan were found near a stream in Shopian, triggering widespread unrest in Kashmir. It was alleged that the women were raped and murdered by security personnel.
The ensuing protests paralysed Kashmir for six weeks. The CBI later took over the probe and found that the two women were never raped or murdered. As per the orders, Dr Bilal Ahmad Dalal, a medical officer, and Dr Nighat Shaheen Chilloo, a gynecologist, were dismissed from service for “actively working” with Pakistan and hatching a conspiracy with its assets within Kashmir to falsify the postmortem report of the victims, who had died due to drowning. The aim of the two doctors was to create disaffection against the Indian state by falsely accusing the security forces of rape and murder.
The two were chargesheeted by the CBI on December 10, 2009, for fabricating evidence and twisting the accidental deaths due to drowning as rape and murder.
The chargesheet also implicated several lawyers. Additionally, Zahoor Ahmad Ahanger and Ali Mohammad Sheikh, the victims’ elder brother and another civilian, respectively, were accused of fabricating evidence and intimidating witnesses.
Incident caused widespread unrest
- Two women found dead in Shopian on May 30, 2009; security men accused of rape, murder
- CBI took over case after outrage; found two doctors falsified autopsy report
- Both altered the accidental death report to create unrest in Kashmir valley
