Srinagar, Oct 16: Former Inspector General of Police (Kashmir) PS Gill has finally broken silence on his alleged role in manipulation of DNA samples and hushing the up abduction of foreigners in 1995, terming the allegations against him as “frivolous.
 Gill has been, for the past nearly five months, evading show cause notices by the State Human Rights Commission, which had sought his response in the case.
 The Commission last month summoned Gill through the district magistrate of his native district, Moga in Punjab, and maintained that if he failed to appear or file his response, legal proceedings can be initiated against him.
 In its joint complaint to the SHRC earlier this year, the International People’s Tribunal on Human Rights (IPTHR) and Justice and Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) had accused Gill of hushing up the case and manipulating DNA samples of a slain foreigner to seek rewards from State Government and United States. They had demanded fresh probe into the case.
 In his one page reply to the Commission, Gill has categorically denied the allegations.
 “I was not the supervising DIG of Anantnag Police District when the kidnapping of foreign tourists by Pakistani terrorist took place. I was also not part of the team investigating the case or its supervising officer at any stage,” Gill writes.
 Gill was IGP Kashmir when Paul Wells and Keith Mangan of Britain, Dirk Hassert (Germany), John Childs and Donald Hutching (US) and Hans Christan Ostro (Norway) were allegedly kidnapped by little-known Al-Faran militant group 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 Wells was killed and his body was located on August 13, 1995. The other four foreigners still remain untraced.
 “During my tenure as IGP Kashmir Zone as far as I remember on receipt of some information a dead body was exhumed and its DNA sample along with a central sample was sent to a national laboratory at Calcutta for analysis and opinion. The result of the analysis received through the Police Headquarters was made known to all concerned. A subsequent analysis by a British Laboratory did not endorse the earlier version and the matter was disposed,” Gill states in his response.
 Gill claimed that all these procedures were legal and totally transparent. “The allegations are frivolous, not based on facts and therefore denied,” he claimed. 
 The case took a twist following disclosures in a book “Meadows” released earlier this year that the foreigners were killed on the directions of the security forces. “I do not know the authors of the novel (Meadows) and have not read it,” Gill maintained. 
 On the basis of disclosures in the book the APDP and IPTHR claimed that in November 1997, Bob Wells, the father of Paul Wells, one of the kidnapped foreigners had met with then IGP, PS Gill.
 “Bob Wells was informed that the dead body of Paul Wells had been found as a result of investigations conducted by a special team led by the IGP Kashmir Zone, PS Gill, and the then Superintendent of Police of Anantnag, Ashkoor Wani. In January 2000, IGP Gill stated that scientists at two credible Indian laboratories had concluded that the DNA they tested belonged to Paul Wells. Based on this, Gill claimed that the force was now entitled to claim the two million dollar reward from the US Department of Justice and two more rewards of ten lakh rupees each from the US State Department and the Government of Jammu and Kashmir,” the complaint reads.
 It states that three months later, based on independent DNA tests, the British Foreign Office stated that the body was not that of Paul Wells. “The British Foreign Office suggested that what had been tested in the Indian laboratories might have been the reference sample provided by the Wells family, against which the remains were supposed to have been matched. Whether the two had been switched or accidentally mixed, no one could say,” it stated.
 “Investigations be launched against the then IGP, Paramdeep Singh Gill, and the then SP Anantnag, Ashkoor Wani, to inquire into their role in the manipulation of the DNA tests of Paul Wells, with the apparent objective of making a claim to the award monies, and for their role in a possible cover up, as the mishandling and manipulation of evidence appears to be a pattern in Jammu and Kashmir,” the APDP and IPTHR had demanded.
 Hearing the case today the Division Bench of SHRC comprising members Rafiq Fida and Amlok Singh said the copy of Gill’s response will be provided to the complainants for filing rejoinder.
 “The complainants will be asked to corroborate their allegations with evidence. After taking all aspects of the case into consideration the Commission will be able to reach to a conclusion and give its recommendations in the case,” SHRC member Rafiq Fida said.
 The Commission also took strong note of delay in submission of report by the Deputy Commissioner Islamabad.
 Project Coordinator APDP Khuram Pervez said he will file a detained response to Gill’s reply after receiving its copy. The case is listed for 12 November, 2012.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 16 Oct 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 16 Oct 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 17 Oct 2012 00:00:00 IST