Sopore Double Murder Case: ‘Main Culprit Still Roaming Free, Alleges Family

Srinagar: A family from North Kashmir’s Sopore town Saturday alleged that police has not been arresting the main culprit involved in double murder case. The family said that police have let off the accused government gunman under Army pressure.
“Merely after 48 hours of the murder of two cousins in 2014 at Seelu Sopore, the police had claimed that it arrested the main culprit Mehrajuddin Khan alias Raj Khan. However police succumbed to the pressure from Army and released him. The then Army officer barged into our house and threatened us of dire consequences if we don’t withdraw the case,” the family members who appeared in Press Enclave said.
Pertinently, on June 20, 2014, two cousin of Sopore’s Naikoo family Nazir Ahmed Naiko (M.Phil in Urdu) and Shabir Ahmed Naikoo (Dental surgeon) fell to the bullets over a “land dispute” with their neighbor and relative Ghulam Nabi Naikoo.
“The killings were executed over a land dispute. We filed a law suit against Ghulam Nabi Naiko. His brother-in-law Mehrajuddin Khan, a government gun man threatened us of dire consequences after the culmination of first hearing of the case,” said Manzoor Ahmed.
He said they filed a complaint at Police Station Sopore after Ghulam Nabi Naiko along with his men attacked us.
“We thought we are safe now after registering complaint in police station but little did we know that the culprit along with army will devastate our dreams and will kill our two members. On the night of June 20, 2014 when we were busy in talking to each other, Raj Khan along two other men in fatigues and masked faces barged into our house and resorted to indiscriminate firing. As a result, Nazir Ahmad Naikoo died on the spot. Nazir’s cousin Shabir, who was the witness in court was also severely injured and was referred to SMHS hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries the next day.”
He said that police registered a case
vide FIR number 95/2014 U/S 302, 307 RPC and 7/27 Arms Act and apprehended Raj Khan of Khan Mohalla, Mundji, Zainageer Sopore from his house. Police during a press briefing had said that in the process of investigation it surfaced that the accused Mehraj-u-Din used the services of local HM militant Javaid Ahmad Matoo of Sopore town.
“There was no role of local militant in the attack. “In an attempt to save the main accused Raj Khan who is working for police and Army, police blamed local militant and the irony is that two students Imtiyaz Ahmed and Ajaz Ahmed were framed in the case. Court set them free after one and a half year after we deposed in their favour in the court of law,” he said.
The family members while seeking the intervention of Chief Justice and Chief Minister appealed Sessions Court Sopore to expedite the case and convict the real culprit who according to them is roaming free and without any fear.