SRINAGAR: Parts of south Kashmir, including the town of Awantipore, erupted on Tuesday after a local school teacher died in the custody of Jammu and Kashmir police’s counter-insurgency Special Operations Group (SOG).
The family of 28-year-old Rezvan Asad Khan alleged that he was tortured to death by the cops at an interrogation centre in summer capital Srinagar. “It is a cold blooded murder of an innocent person,” said his younger brother.
The officials confirmed Khan died in police custody and that following the procedure laid down in Section 176 of the Code of the CrPC, a magisterial inquiry into the incident is underway. Separately, police investigation has also been initiated in the jurisdictional area of the incident, they added.
However, the NIA has strongly denied Khan was called for questioning or examined by it at any stage. The probe agency in a statement said, “NIA emphatically denies reports linking NIA with Rezvan Ahmed, resident of Awantipora. He was neither called for questioning nor was he examined at any other location in connection with cases being investigated by NIA.”
Khan who taught chemistry at a local private school was, a few days ago, picked up by the local police at the instance of National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with a militancy related case being probed by it and had been lodged in the Cargo camp of the SOG in Srinagar. He died reportedly during the intervening night of March 18 and 19.
Local sources said that Khan’s father is a member of Jamaat-e-Islami, the rightwing organisation recently banned by the home ministry. The family claimed that Khan was apolitical and had nothing to do with any militant outfit.
As the word about the alleged custodial killing spread, thousands of people took to the streets in Awantipore town, 28 km south of Srinagar, and neighbouring areas to mourn and protest. At places, including outside the local police station, irate crowds of youth clashed with the security personnel, the witnesses said. A report said that the police fired teargas canisters to quell stone-hurling mobs in Awantipore town.
Amid growing tensions, the authorities have closed the Islamic University of Science and Technology campus at Awantipore.
