Another fake gunfight witness records statement in Kashmir court

Srinagar, June 21 (UNI) A local court here continued to record the statement of prosecution witnesses in the fake encounter case of carpenter Abdur Rehman Padder for the second consecutive day today.

Padder's helper Ghulam Ahmed Wani, a resident of Larnoo in Kokernag area of Anantnag district, recorded the statement in the court of Principal District and Sessions Judge Mohammad Yaqoob Mir.

In his statement in Kashmiri, Wani said he had been working with Padder from 2003 and learnt a lot from his master.

He said on December 7 last year, Padder received several calls on his mobile phone after 2200 hrs. ''However, Padder did not tell us with whom he was talking on phone,'' Wani said.

He said Padder left for Batamaloo from Alesteng on December 8, 2006, morning and during the travel he received three calls.

Wani said Padder then told him that he had received calls from a special operation group (SOG) driver, Farooq Ahmed Padder, who wanted to meet him at Batamaloo.

Wani said on reaching Batamaloo, his master gave him Rs 500 in cash and both of them later walked till the Fire Services headquarters in the area from he (Wani) took a bus to Lal Chowk and the carpenter later went to meet the SOG driver.

On December 14, 2006, Wani said he along with the carpenter's father, Ghulam Qadir Padder, lodged a missing person report about the carpenter at the Batamaloo police station.

Yesterday, assistant superintendent jail Ghulam Qadir Padder, a close relative of Padder, had recorded the statement in the court.

Earlier, the court had charged seven policemen, including suspended Superintendent of Police Hans Raj Parihar and his deputy Bahadur Ram, with abduction and murder of Abdur Rehman Padder, a resident of Kokernag. The accused have denied the charges.

The court will continue to record the statement of prosecution witnesses tomorrow as well.

UNI