People protest in Srinagar, demand whereabouts of a missing perso

Srinagar, Feb 5 (UNI) People today took to streets here demanding whereabouts about two persons missing since their alleged arrest by security forces, close on the heels of exhumation of bodies of those killed in alleged fake encounters in Kashmir.

An unconfirmed report said a mob set on fire the hosue of a police official, involved in the fake encounter killings, at Kokernag this morning.

Hundreds of people took to streets at Jamia Masjid in the down town city alleging that one Bashir Ahmad Sofi went missing after he was arrested by the security forces in 2003.

Raising slogans like ''produce the killers of Bashir'', they marched through different streets and later dispersed at Jehangir Chowk peacefully.

The family members of Bashir alleged that he was picked up by the security forces from his house and buried at some unknown place after being killed in a fake encounter.

Another similar procession was taken out at the historic Lal Chowk demanding whereabouts of Mohammad Yaseen Bhat, who also went missing in 2000 after his arrest by the security forces.

The agitators alleged that Bhat was also killed and later buried at some unidentified place without informing his family members.

The Hurriyat Conference (Omar) alleged that about 8000 people are missing in Jammu and Kashmir since 1990. President of National Conference (NC) Omar Abdullah demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into all fake encounter and missing cases.

Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) has given a one-day strike for tomorrow in protest against the alleged Human Rights violations.

Police exhumed four bodies of civilians who went missing after their arrest. They had been allegedly killed by the Special Operation Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir police in fake encounter at different places and later buried at Ganderbal, Ajas and Kangan after being labelled as foreign terrorists.

Police later arrested four SOG officials, including Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Hans Raj Parihar and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP-Operations) Ganderbal Bahadur Ram for ''kidnapping and later killing'' the civilians.

Parihar and Ram were remanded in 14-day police remand by a local court here yesterday.

UNI