Following death of a 35-year-old youth during a police firing on July 16 in Doda’s Jai valley, the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) of Assar has visited the site and has also recorded the statements of members of deceased’s family.
Event Context
“Deceased family, including his wife, have admitted on camera before the Bhaderwah police that Aarif had been involved in bovine smuggling,” said a police officer, on request of anonymity.
A five member SIT, which has been conducting a parallel probe, has also found a trail of bovine smuggling by a group of men that also had Aarif, said a police officer. “From Kathua to Bani to Sarthal to Jai, this group had been using the route to ferry bovines,” said the officer.
However, the deceased’s family has denied the charge and asserted that he was an e-autorickshaw driver.
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According to police, Arif Hussain, an e-rikshaw driver from Cheeka village in Doda was fatally shot during a scuffle between police personnel and alleged cattle smugglers in the Jai Valley. Some suspects allegedly attacked the team, and Arif was seriously injured in an accidental fire from the service during the ensuing scuffle, said the cops. He later died on the way to hospital.
Police says the deceased tried to snatch service rifle from a Special Operations Group (SOG) personnel when the incident happened. A magisterial probe was ordered and an SIT was constituted.
Assar SDM Ashok Singh Katoch, to whom the probe was marked, said, “We have already visited the incident site. We have also recorded the statements of deceased’s family.”
The SDM further informed that he has also initiated the process of recording the statement of cops involved in the incident. “The statements of the police men involved in the incident are being recorded. Thereafter, statements of men, who were accompanying Arif that day will also be recorded,” said the SDM.
The incident, that took place about 35 km from Bhaderwah, had triggered protests in Doda, Bhaderwah and Kishtwar for two straight days prompting authorities to suspend mobile internet services for five days.
