Srinagar, Aug 13: The Jammu and Kashmir State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) on Monday passed strictures against the ex-IGP Kashmir, PS Gill saying he has failed to file his response in the abduction of six foreigners in 1995 by Al-Faran militants.
A division bench of SHRC comprising Javaid Kawoos and Rafiq Fida expressed strong resentment over Gill’s non-response to the Commission’s earlier direction to file report in the case.
“PS Gill, non-applicant has not till date responded to any of the communications addressed to him by the officers of this Commission. On the last date it was impressed upon him and that in case he fails to file his personal response an adverse inference will be drawn in the matter against him,” the Bench observed.
“We think taking adverse inference against PS Gill will visit him with harsh consequences as he will be deprived of affording him a fair chance of hearing in this case. The Secretary will address an independent communication to him on the address as furnished by the Complainant calling upon the non-applicant to submit his personal response in the matter,” it added.
The Commission also directed the Deputy Commissioner Islamabad to expedite submission of report in the case.
“The Secretary of the Commission will impress upon the DC Anantnag that the matter is of international importance and so he must expedite the submission of the report by or before the next date of hearing,” the bench observed.
IGP Crime Headquarters, Jammu and Kashmir, vide his communication has submitted before the bench that the full Case Diary file along with other relevant documents prepared by the Crime Branch, Kashmir had been sent by SSP, Crime to the Police Station Pahalgam on July 2, 2004 for submitting the Ikhtitami (closure report) before the competent court of law.
“The master file retained in the office of SSP, Crime has been gutted and reduced to ashes during the fire on September 11 2010. However SHO of Pahalgam police station has already submitted the Ikhtitamis of FIR’s 66/1995, 67/1995 and 70/1995 before Judicial Magistrate, Aishmuqam.”
“If that is so what it appears to be, the Secretary of the Commission shall call the record of the Ikhtitami’s along with all Case Diary files and allied relevant documents from the Court of Judicial Magistrate, 1st Class, Aishmuqam, through Principal and Sessions Judge, Anantnag,” the bench said.
Following the disclosures in a book Meadows released earlier this year that the foreigners were killed on the directions of the security forces, the International People’s Tribunal on Human Rights and Justice and Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) had filed a joint petition in the SHRC on April 6 seeking a fresh probe into the case.
Paul Wells and Keith Mangan of Britain, Dirk Hassert (Germany), John Childs and Donald Hutching (US) and Hans Christan Ostro (Norway) were kidnapped by little-known Al-Faran militant group - believed to be a shadow outfit of Harkat-ul-Ansar - from the forests of Pahalgam in 1995.
While Childs managed to escape under the cover of darkness six days after his abduction, 27-year-old Ostro was killed and his body was located on August 13, 1995. The other four foreigners remain untraced.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 13 Aug 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 13 Aug 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 14 Aug 2012 00:00:00 IST