Shopian firing: Omar Abdullah demands SIT probe, BJP calls it 'unfortunate'

BJP legislators had demanded the withdrawal of the FIR against the Army and said that cases be lodged against the protesters.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Friday demanded a "high level Special Investigation Team (SIT)" probe into the Shopian firing in which three civilians were killed.

The Army on Wednesday filed a counter FIR in Shopian firing incident, in which an Army Major was booked. The Jammu and Kashmir Police had on Sunday filed an FIR against the personnel of 10, Garhwal unit, of the Army. A Major, who led the Army personnel at the time of the incident, was also named in the FIR.

"After Police filed FIR, now Army has filed a counter FIR. So we demand a high level special investigation team should be constituted to look into Shopian (firing) matter," Omar Abdullah said in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly on Friday.

BJP legislators had demanded the withdrawal of the FIR against the Army and said that cases be lodged against the protesters.

Reacting to Omar's demand in the assembly, Jammu and Kashmir's Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh said, "This was unfortunate stand by a former chief minister. Army, the institution making sacrifices for country, don't have rights to approach law? They are demanding that they (army) should be hanged for filing a return FIR but didn't utter a word against stone-pelters."

On January 27, two youths were killed when Army personnel fired at a stone-pelting mob+ in the Ganovpora area of Shopian, prompting chief minister Mehbooba Mufti to order an inquiry into the incident.

A defence ministry spokesman had said that the troops resorted to firing when a mob tried to lynch a junior commissioned officer and snatch his service weapon.

The PDP-BJP coalition in J&K is in turmoil after Mufti defended the police action and refused to cave in to the saffron party's demands for immediate withdrawal of the FIR.

OneIndia News