Paddar family feels unsafe after DNA tests reports

Srinagar, Feb 24 (UNI) The family members of Abdul Rehman Paddar, one of the four victims of the fake encounter killings, today alleged that Special Operation Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir police werethreatening and harassing them after the DNA tests confirmed positive that the body exhumed at Ganderbal on February 1 was that of a carpenter.

About 30 people, most of them family members of Paddar, including his wife, had come here all the way from Kokernag in south Kashmir to stage a dharna at the Press Enclave.

''Please save our lives from the SOG and their agents,'' they pleaded to mediapersons while raising slogans like, ''We want justice'' and ''hang the killers'' of innocent people.

The SOG in a the fake encounter at Ganderbal killed Paddar and buried after labelling him a militant of Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT).

Police have arrested seven police officials, including Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Hans Raj Parihar and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP-Operations) Ganderbal Bahadur Ram ASI Gudoo and selection grade constable (driver) Farooq Ahmed Padder Bani Lal, Zaheer Khan and Manzoor Ahmad in connection with the fake encounter killings.

They said a number of SOG personnel visited their home and threatened of dire consequences if we will not change our statement in favour of the arrested SOG officials.

The Jammu and Kashmir government has already ordered a judicial probe into the killings. However, no Judge has so far been appointed to conduct the inquiry.

SSP Parihar and DSP-Operations, Ganderbal, Bahadur Ram, were arrested on February 3 after they were named by three other police officials arrested earlier in connection with the killing of four persons.

Padder, a resident of Kokernag, had gone missing from Batamaloo here on December 8, 2006. A missing report was lodged with the Batamaloo Police Station by his family on January 23.

The bodies of Padder and three other fake encounter victims were exhumed for DNA tests in the presence of experts from Chandigrah and police.

Their families identified all the victims. Kashmir witnessed massive protests since the fake encounter cases surfaced in the Valley.

A general strike against the fake encounters was also observed on February 6 and the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) observed a three-day hunger strike.

UNI