Srinagar, Nov 7: Justice still eludes the family of Kala Khan of Lasana Surankote Poonch who was killed allegedly by the personnel of Special Operation Group and troopers of Rashtriya Rifles 8-years ago as the police are yet to furnish the details of the case pending before the State Human Rights Commission.
Feroz Ahmad son of the deceased has come long way from Poonch to Srinagar with a hope to get justice and stern punishment against the killers of his father, whose case would be heard on Monday.
In July 2007 the SHRC had directed police to furnish details of the case. But, Feroz Khan, the boy, told Greater Kashmir the report had not been submitted to the SHRC so far.
“Every time this happens to me;  Whenever I visit Srinagar the SHRC says it has not received report from  the police,” he lamented.
“If SHRC cannot give justice to me then I should be allowed take the case to Supreme Court,” he added.
Recalling the ordeal, Feroz said on February 12, 2002 his father Kala Khan, a mason, went to work in a nearby village. “Khan was taken into custody by SOG and troops of 40 RR when he was returning home. Next day, the troops and SOG personnel raided our house. They were accompanied by a masked man who was in Army fatigues,” Feroz said.
He said the troops told them that the masked man was a ‘militant.’ “When the search of our house was on the troops let the masked man go, and asked my uncle Khaliq to follow him. But when Khaliq followed him, they fired some rounds on the masked man who died on the spot,” Feroz said, adding they initially thought the killed man was a militant. “We were told that acid was sprinkled over his body as well,” he said.
After the incident, the family members restarted their search for Kala Khan. “In village Malar we were told by some persons that the militant killed by troops in our house was not a militant, but my father,” Feroz said.
The news shocked the family. Khalid said he approached local police station demanding the body of his father. But the police, according to Feroz, said the slain man was a militant and not his father, Kala Khan.
Later, he approached the deputy commissioner Poonch with an application. The deputy commissioner ordered exhumation of the body in presence of a Naib Tehsildar. Feroz said after exhumation they identified the body. “It was my father’s body,” he said. The then senior superintendent of police vide his letter SSP/RDR/2002/SHRC wrote to the additional district magistrate that “investigation was conducted in the incident and it was established that on the day of occurrence army troops were attacked at Lasana which was retailed and in the ensuing encounter Kala Khan was killed and huge quantity of arms were recovered from him. It was further established that Kala Khan was no notorious guide of militants and used to lead the militants to attack armed forces and masses.”
Surprised over the police claim, Feroz said he approached the SHRC. Following compliant with the SHRC, he said the SOG reportedly claimed that his father had “murdered a man.” “Even if it will be presumed that there claim is true, there is a proper procedure and rule of law to punish a murderer, and not to murder him in the garb of militancy,” Feroz said.
He said he approached the SHRC with a hope that the rights body would punish the guilty. “But after many hearings nothing is coming out,” he said. “I don’t require any compensation. I want punishment to my father’s killers,” he said.

Lastupdate on : Sun, 7 Nov 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 7 Nov 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 8 Nov 2010 00:00:00 IST