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Retired Judge Ganjoo murder case reopens: SIA issues notice, seeks information from public
Justice Ganjoo was shot dead on November 4, 1989, in Srinagar, by militants after he had sentenced Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) founder Maqbool Butt to death in 1968 for killing police officer Amar Chand at Langate in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district
Jammu and Kashmir’s newly formed State Investigative Agency (SIA) has issued a public notice, seeking information from public in an attempt to uncover the larger criminal conspiracy behind the murder of retired judge Neelkanth Ganjoo after 34 years.
Justice Ganjoo was shot dead on November 4, 1989, in Srinagar, by militants after he had sentenced Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) founder Maqbool Butt to death in 1968 for killing police officer Amar Chand at Langate in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district. Butt’s execution was carried out on February 11, 1984 at Tihar Jail.
The SIA is also probing some high-profile old cases. The agency tracked down and arrested two absconding terrorists accused in the killing of Mirwaiz Molvi Farooq on May 21, 1990, at the city’s Mirwaiz Manzil after 33 years.
The accused, identified as Javaid Ahmad Bhat of Solina Bala, Srinagar, and Zahoor Ahmad Bhat of Danderkhaw Batamalo, Srinagar, were handed over to the CBI to face the trial by SIA in May.
Ganjoo was shot dead by three unidentified militants at Hari Singh Street market near the Srinagar high court. Soon after the killing, a case was registered at Shaheed Ganj police station.
Officials said this isn’t the only case that is being investigated. Many more cases in which perpetrators are still at large are being investigated. “The process has begun to investigate all old cases that had been almost closed. Now time has come to get justice for families of victims,” said a senior police officer.
“In order to unearth the larger criminal conspiracy behind murder of the retired Judge, the SIA has appealed all persons familiar with facts or circumstances of this murder case to come forward and share any account of events, which has direct or indirect bearing on the investigation of the instant case. The identities of all such persons shall be kept completely hidden and protected, besides all useful and relevant information shall be suitably rewarded,” SIA’s communique read.
Kashmir Pandit Sangrash Simiti (KPSS) president Sanjay Tickoo said, ”For me, case of Neelkanth Ganjoo is as important as that of a minor killed in Nadimarg massacre. We want all cases to be reopened whether individuals or massacres of the civilians. We want cases of killings of professor Mushirul ul Haq, Malauna Masoodi and other cases reopened and the first investigating officers (IO’s) of all the cases should be called for information by SIA,” adding that case of Ganjoo was the first case handed over to the CBI. “We also want to know why CBI did nothing to tis case for three decades. These are the questions which people will ask.”
