Officer accused of showing 'disrespect' to protester's body attached

Jammu, Jul 27 (UNI) The Jammu and Kashmir government today 'attached' the Sub Divisional Police Officer(SDPO) accused of ''disrespectfully dragging'' the body of Kuldeep Dogra, who died on Amarnath land row, and ''brutality'' against his relatives at Parade Ground on July 24.

''SDPO (west Jammu) M L Kaith, Deputy Superintendent of Police, has been replaced by Dushyant Sharma, Dy SP, and 'attached' to the district Police Lines,'' an official spokesman told UNI.

Relatives of Kuldeep Dogra, whose death on July 23 rekindled massive protests for restoration of forest land to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) in Kashmir, had alleged that police had attempted to cremate the protester's body in the night after ''disrespectfully'' shifting it to Bishnah and ''brutally'' thrashing his family members.

Contradicting the statement given by the administration, the relatives and locals of Bishnah area had said the body of Dogra was ''disrespectfully'' and without any prior intimation taken to native Bishnah by police where they made an unsuccessful attempt to cremate it against the Hindu custom in the night, using kerosene oil and liquor.

''What administration said, was completely untrue. We, four male members and about a dozen women relatives, were subjected to indiscriminate lathi-charge by police,'' nephew of Dogra Ajay Vaid had told a press conference.

''Police pulled from hair the wife of deceased and other women from the site and segregated them from the male members of the family in vehicles. Then they took us to an unknown destination against our wishes,'' he said, asserting they came to know it was Bishnah only after the body was pulled down from vehicle at a cremation ground.

UNI VJ AE KP1839