Human Shield Case listed for final hearing before SHRC on June 5

Srinagar/May,23:   State Human Rights Commission has listed the ‘human shield’ case for final hearing on June 5 next month.
A petition had been filed by the Chairman International Forum for Justice, Muhammad Ahsan Unto at SHRC seeking action against Army officer Major Leetul Gogoi for lifting and tying a Kashmiri youth to the army vehicle in Central Kashmir’s Budgam district.
SHRC had directed Jammu Kashmir Police to submit a detailed report in this regard.
Director General of Police according has submitted a report before the State Human Rights Commission. The police in its reports stated: “it is submitted that the report received from SDPO Magam revealed that on April 13, 2017, Police Station Beerwah received and displayed on local national news channels depicting there in that on 9/4/2017 on polling day one individual namely Farooq Ahmed Dar of Chill Khansahab was tied with ropes to an army vehicle followed by a Casper under threat while keeping him under wrongful confinement and making hum a human shield act.”
“On receipt of this information a case bearing FIR number 38/2017 under section 342, 367, 506 RPC was registered in police station Beerwah and investigation taken up.”
“During the course of investigation it surfaced that Farooq Ahmed Dar was lifted and tied to army vehicle while motorcycle of Dar has been seized as a piece of evidence at village Utligam.”
According to police: “Statements of witnesses namely, Hilal Ahmed, Gulzar Ahmed, Bashir Ahmed, Ghulam Qadir, Abdul Qayoom, Abdul Rehman, Bashir Ahmed have been recorded under section 161 CrPc and Dar has been also questioned. During investigation it came to surface that on 9/4/2017, during by-poll election day FarooqAhmed Dar along with Hilal Ahmed Magray proceeded to village Gampora for condolence and after spending sometime there left from village Gampora and reached Utligam Crossing where from he was lifted by Army during stone-pelting and was tied to bonnet of the army vehicle as human shield under threat kept him under wrong confinement and has been paraded and moved around within the area. Later on he was released. During investigation, correspondence has been made with army for identification of involved army party/vehicles, the investigation of the case is in progress and will be concluded on its merits,” the police report reads.
Sources said SHRC has listed the case for final hearing on June 5 next month.
Meanwhile, International Forum for Justice has filed another petition against two New Delhi based news channels for projecting the human shield victims Farooq Ahmed Dar as stone-pelter. The petitioner in his petition has claimed that nowhere in police record mentions that Farooq Ahmed Dar was pelting stones on the government forces.