Srinagar still tense over fake encounter killings

The ire against killing of civilians in fake encounters continues to pour on streets of Srinagar today as well.

The ire against killing of civilians in fake encounters allegedly by security forces continued to pour on streets of Srinagar on Wednesday as well.

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The normal life in several parts of interior city was disrupted as angry residents fanned out on streets shouting slogans against police and security forces. Hundreds of residents at Nowhatta, Hawal, Nowshehra and other adjoining localities held protest demonstrations against "custodial disappearances". A mob at Hawal Nowshera blocked the main road disrupting movement of the traffic in the area. Shopkeepers also joined the protestors by downing their shutters.

They were demanding the disclosure of a Kashmir University photographer Faya Ahmad Baig's whereabouts, who went missing in the custody of Special Operation Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police in 1997.

The protestors, who included the relatives and parents of Baig, alleged that he was picked up by a team of SOG personnel when he was on way to university. They alleged that Hansraj Parihar, who has been arrested for his role in killing of a civilian Abdul Rahman paddar of Kokernag in Ganderbal, was leading the SOG team, who picked up the photographer. "His whereabouts are not known since then," they alleged. "We approached state human rights commission as well but the police has maintained discreet silence," they said.

Protestor demonstration was also held in civil line area of the capital city. Activists of a faction of JKLF, led by Javaid Ahmad Mir and Ninha Ji, took out a protest march from Partap Park Press Enclave. Raising "pro freedom" and anti government slogans as they reached Regal Chowk, police stopped their march. As the JKLF activists resisted, police used force and took over a dozen of them into custody.

Mohammad Yasin Malik, chief of another faction of the JKLF, has been on hunger-strike against human rights violations since Tuesday. Malik is on a three-day hunger-strike against what he said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's failure to keep his word of zero tolerance with regard to human rights violations.