Srinagar, Oct 1: An octogenarian Ghulam Qadir Malik of Zandfaran Varmul in north Kashmir could not take the legal battle to seek justice for his slain son to end as he passed away on Friday.
 Malik’s son, Sonaullah Malik, was allegedly killed by Major Chinapa, Major Acharya, and a trooper Muhammad Aslam of 28 Rashtriya Rifles in custody on May 13, 1995 and since then the old man had been fighting to get the killers of his son punished. 
 Mourning the death of his son for 15 years, Ghulam Qadir Malik had lost his eye sight. And now with his death the hope to get justice has vanished.
 Two-years ago Malik through this newspaper had appealed government to give stern punishment to the killers. “The perpetrators of death of my son should be hanged. I will go to any court of the world for justice," he had said.
 Though the State Human Rights Commission had held troops responsible for Sonaullah’s "cold blooded murder" but no action was taken against the guilty troopers. It was a rare case in which police had twice proved that troops murdered the civilian in a fake gunfight and then branded him as a militant.
 The deceased, Sonaullah was called by troopers of  28 RR posted in Heevan camp through Numberdar and Chowkidar of village. He went to the camp and after 3-days on May 15, 1995 when the whole valley was on fire as Chari-Sharief went to flames the police handed over the bullet-riddled body of Sonaullah to his family.
 Malik later filed an FIR against Army in Police Station Sheeri. He moved from pillar to post for justice, but to no avail.
 After failing to get justice from police and politicians, Malik in 2003 approached SHRC for justice. The commission ordered a probe into the matter and asked the police to file a report. Police’s report concurred with complainant's version, then SHRC chairperson Justice A M Mir (retd) observed in his judgment that "it is clear case of custodial death".
 "That on 15-05-1995, the body of the deceased was handed over to the concerned police station with the fictitious story of this being an unidentified militant and he having been killed in an encounter," the SHRC chairperson had observed.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 1 Oct 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 1 Oct 2010 18:30:00 GMT
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