Jammu and Kashmir DGP Dilbagh Singh Friday said that the J&K Police was hurt by “aspersions” cast by some politicians over the Hyderpora encounter, which is being investigated for the killing of alleged civilians, adding: “I think counting votes on dead bodies is really perhaps (their) mission.”
Claiming that the forces had acted “professionally” during the encounter and there were no doubts over it, the J&K Police chief added: “We have also made it clear that those utterances are somehow violative of the law. Maybe at some stage, if people do not mend their ways, maybe law would take its own course.”
Political parties in Kashmir had questioned the press conference held by the police virtually giving a clean chit to the officers involved in the shootout. Following the criticism by parties, the SIT investigating the encounter had first threatened penal action against them.
In Srinagar, IGP, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said even family members of victims should desist from questioning a probe outright, while adding that mainstream politicians should desist from “instigating” people.
“See, in a democratic set-up media, political leaders or even family members have a right not to be satisfied with the investigation. They can call for investigation at a higher level, from the NIA, the CBI or from court, we would have no objection (to that),” IGP Kumar said. “But to say somebody’s investigation is flawed, only the hon’ble court can decide that. The politician will not decide, the family will not, the mediaperson can’t decide.”
Saying he was not giving a clean chit to anybody, Kumar added: “Each case will be decided by court. So I request leaders to not instigate the public. Let the court decide. If it thinks the probe is flawed, it will order re-investigation.”
Without naming anybody, DGP Singh said: “There are people who have actually seen this kind of a scenario for years and years, and know the reality on the ground. But I think counting votes on dead bodies is really perhaps the mission… We definitely feel hurt by the kind of aspersions made… Very irresponsible on the part of certain people who were not part of the investigations, knew nothing about them.”
Such people would not be allowed to succeed, Singh said. “We have made it clear that anybody with any evidence should come to the two forums available to them. One is the magisterial inquiry… and (the second) is the investigation team… Why don’t they go and present evidence before them?”
The DGP said that some of these forces had been “accounted for” in cases registered under the UAPA. “We are on the lookout and are trying to get more evidence against people who in a very clever way try to support militancy… They are into soft terrorism,” he said.
Asked whom he meant, Singh said: “No one is above the law.”
On Thursday, former CM and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah had rejected a police probe and said that a judicial inquiry should be held into the encounter.
IGP Kumar also attacked the media and political leaders for saying that the security situation in the Valley had not improved. “Some go to the extent of saying that the situation is like that 1990s,” Kumar said. “The factual data on ground reveals that their statements are wrong.”