The J-K Police have registered a murder case against the Army after its soldiers allegedly killed a baker in south Kashmir. They have also appointed a Sub-Divisional Police Officer to investigate the case. Riyaz Ahmad Sofi, 28, was allegedly killed by some Army personnel on Saturday morning at Damhal Hanjipora village of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district when he and his brothers were going to their shop. “We have registered a murder case against the Army,” Kulgam Deputy Commissioner Lateef-uz-Zaman Deva said, adding, “Keeping in view the totality of the evidence, statements of the witnesses and medical team, it seemed a clear case of murder. We have also charged the Army for wrongful confinement.”Eyewitnesses said when Riyaz and his brothers, Manzoor Ahmad and Fayaz Ahmad, were moving towards their bakery, soldiers of 9 Rashtriya Rifles stopped them and shot Riyaz dead.“They stopped us and took us to the nearby Pariteng locality,” said Manzoor. “There they separated Riyaz from us and fired on him. We tried to scream, but they silenced us by pointing their guns towards us.”As the news of Riyaz’s death spread in Damhal Hanjipora, thousands of villagers came out on the streets to protest against the killing. The mob refused to bury Riyaz and demanded immediate arrest of the soldiers involved. They also tried to set afire the police station and clashes broke out between police and the protestors. Nineteen people, including 12 police personnel, were injured in the clashes. Police resorted to lathicharge and fired warning shots to disperse the protestors. The protestors relented only when Deva and Kulgam Senior SSP S P Pani assured them of severe punishment to the soldiers involved in the killing. The Army said Riyaz was killed in a crossfire. “Our soldiers had cordoned the area during the night. When they saw some people moving, they challenged them but they tried to escape. There was also a burst of fire. Our soldiers returned the fire and when we closed in, we found a body there,” said Defence spokesman Lt Col A K Mathur. “We informed the police and it was revealed that the slain youth was a local. He was either used by the militants as a guide or was killed in a crossfire”. This is the second time in the past month that a murder case has been registered against the Army for killing a civilian. On October 19, the Army killed a school teacher in Kupwara. They had initially termed it as “accidental fire” but later arrested the soldier involved.
