Srinagar, Apr 8: On the 9th death anniversary of their beloved Showkat Ahmad Zargar, a government employee from Rainawari who was killed in a fake encounter in 2002, his family has appealed the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to help them get justice.
 Zargar was allegedly killed by the BSF—just for being a militant’s namesake.
 Born in a middle-class family, Showkat, a graduate, worked on daily wage basis in the Deputy Commissioner’s office. He supported his family comprising aged parents, and a brother and sister.
 Impressed by his hardwork, the then Tehsildar settlement had recommended his regularization. But destiny had something else in store for him.
 “The BSF soldiers were in search of an active militant with the same name, and incidentally, with the same parentage. Only difference was address as the militant reportedly lived in adjoining Chanamohalla locality of Rainawari,” recalled his father Muhammad Amin Zargar.
 “My son was picked up by the BSF’s 49 battalion in 2000. Showkat convinced the soldiers that was not the fellow they were looking for. The BSF commandant was kind enough to provide him a duly sealed identity card so that no security agency could arrest him again for being a militant’s namesake,” he added.
 But Showkat’s miseries did not end there. He was arrested many times and each time the BSF claimed recovery of arms and ammunition from him.
  As the BSF could not establish any crime against him, he was later set free.
 The family said on April 8, 2002, the BSF men and cops barged into his house at 10.45 pm. “The soldiers bundled him in a Gypsy,” Zargar said. 
 The family immediately approached the Rainawari Police Station but the cops feigned ignorance about the arrest.
 “At 1.30 am, we heard gunshots in the nearly Miskeen Bagh area. Next morning as we visited the Rainawari Police Station and were shocked when the cops told us to collect Showkat’s body from police control room,” Amin said.
 “Besides bullet injuries on his chest, his arm was broken and there were bruises all over his body,” Amin said with moist eyes.
 After Showkat’s killing, his mother developed various ailments and passed away last year.
 Showkat’s sister Azra said after failing to get justice, they had approached the State Human Right Commission, which directed the police to register a case against the accused and investigate the matter.
 Following massive protests against the killing, the government on April 15, 2002 ordered a probe into the
 killing and appointed Additional Deputy Commissioner as inquiry officer of the case. In his report, the officer picked up holes in the killing.
 “The inquiry confirmed that the deceased was an innocent person working as a prism man in the Revenue department and recommended an investigation at higher level. For past nine years, we are moving from pillar to post to get justice.
 We make a fervent appeal to the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah to probe the matter and give us justice,” the family said.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 8 Apr 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 8 Apr 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 9 Apr 2011 00:00:00 IST