Kreeri, (Varmul) Aug 12: Family members of 19-year old Farukh Bukhari, whose body was recovered from Choora village in north Kashmir’s Varmul district on Tuesday, are inconsolable. 
 Farukh, according to his family members, was arrested by police on July 28 from Choora and was subsequently killed allegedly in custody.    
  “We were overjoyed a few months ago when he cleared an entrance test to get into 3-year Mass Communication and Video Production course at Varmul Degree College,” victim’s father Syed Bashir Ahmed Bukhari told Greater Kashmir. 
 “His killing has shattered our hopes. Everybody in the family had pinned hopes on him for future, but our entire world has collapsed with his death,” he added.
 He recalled that Farukh along with other youth had joined the procession against the civilian killings on July 28.
 “Protesters from Palhallan and adjacent areas entered Kreeri in trucks on that fateful day. He too joined the procession along with his friends. Policemen from Kreeri police station were following them in a Gypsy,” he said, adding that police had laid siege on Srinagar –Varmul highway to disperse the procession near police post Choora.
 “The protesters managed to break the cordon, but those traveling in last three trucks were confronted by policemen. They used indiscriminate force on the procession wounding several of them,” Bukhari said adding that police also arrested at least 40 youth.
 Quoting an eyewitness Bukhari said that cops bundled his son in Rakshak vehicle and took him along. 
 “After dragging Farukh into the Rakshak vehicle, cops beat him up mercilessly. The Rakshak vehicle he was bundled into had a broken window. I can identify it even among thousands of vehicles,” Bukhari’s father quoted an eyewitness as having told him. 
 As Farukh failed to return on that fateful day Bukhari family grew anxious and searched for him at adjoining villages and sub -district hospital Kreeri but could not trace him.
 Next day, we approached police officials at Kreeri and Choora and asked them about his whereabouts. “Policemen assured us that he will be somewhere as the arrested youth have been kept in police stations of Sopur, Choora and even in Rafiabad. They promised me that they would compile list of detained persons by evening and would locate his place of detention,” he said, adding that youth who were wounded also told him that Farukh was detained
 “We also met Deputy Superintendent of Police Pattan who assured us all possible help,” Bukhari added.
 “ The next day one of the Dysps from SOG told me the case doesn’t fall in Choora jurisdiction and I should get in touch with Sopur Police,” he added.
 “One of the arrested youth told us that they saw Farukh in a SOG camp on the night of July 28,” Bukhari said.   
 He said as police failed to provide any clue about Farukh, residents of Kreeri and other adjoining areas took to the streets and staged a protest to demand his whereabouts, but police, according to Bukhari, used force and opened fire to quell the demonstrator.
 “They did not even spare a woman Haneefa after shooting her four times in abdomen .The SOG men kicked and dragged her even as blood was continuously oozing out of her body,” he said.
 The family said they were shocked on Tuesday to hear that Farukh’s body was recovered from rivulet in backside of police station Choora.
 “The portion of his body from chest to legs lied in the rivulet while rest was on the mud. His body bore torture marks. His right hand was amputated and there were rope marks on his legs and arms. They had dumped the body 2-3 days back in rivulet after killing him in custody as his wallet and mobile phones were intact. Had the body been lying in water for 13-14 days it would have swollen. They tried to cover the crime by dumping body into the river,” Bukhari said and broke down.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 12 Aug 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 12 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 13 Aug 2010 00:00:00 IST