Banihal observes complete strike in protest against youth's killing

Doda, Feb 4 (UNI) A complete strike was observed in Banihal town of this district today, after the body of local youth Shaukat Ahmed Kataria, which was exhumed at Bazipora in the valley yesterday, was brought to the town.

All the shops in the town remained closed for the day.

People took out a procession throughout the town in protest against the killing.

The body of the 27-year-old youth was later cremated in his native place Doligam, Banihal.

Kataria, an Imam at a mosque in Alamgari Bazaar in downtown Srinagar, had disappeared late in the evening on October 4, 2006.

He was allegedly picked by ''unidentified SOG personnel'' hours after a suicide attack of militants had begun in Budshah Chowk in Civil Lines.

The next day a report about his missing was registered at Zadibal police station while the same day officials claimed that SOG and RR had killed a ''militant'' in an encounter at Bazipora.

UNI