Shopian family emerges in Srinagar along with dead body
Alleges man was killed by goons, police says man died a natural death
Shopian: A family from south Kashmir’s Shopian area on Wednesday morning emerged in Press Enclave Srinagar along with the dead body of a man who died yesterday during land acquisition drive in Hermain village.
The family alleged that the man didn’t die of cardiac arrest but was assaulted by some goons on the behest of civilian officials.
Pertinently, during a stone-pelting incident an elderly man reportedly dead yesterday on spot in south Kashmir’s Shopian district. An official had said the man died due to heart attack.
Some locals including females resorted to stone-pelting on a land acquisition team in Hermain village of Ssouth Kashmir’s Shopian district. The team led by Tehsildar Hermain, and Block Development Officer Hermain had arrived in the village to take possession of land that is supposed to converted into a sports ground.
The locals pelted stones on them during which an elderly man suffered a “heart attack” and he died on spot. He was identified as 65 year old Abdul Salam Thokar, a resident of Padderpora Shopian.
However, the family of the deceased arrived at Press Colony Srinagar along with the dead body. They said that even after the death of the man, police didn’t file an FIR.
“We won’t bury the dead till action is initiated against those responsible for his death. He was a driver by profession and killed by goons,” they said.
“We had a land dispute with another party. Over a dozen people arrived yesterday to occupy the said land. He was manhandled by goons as a result he died,” they said.
Meanwhile, the Shopian admin issued a clarification on the incident.
A spokesman of the administration said that the death of the elderly person has occurred because of the cardiac arrest and is not connected to the events of Padderpora land issue.
The statement reads that some nefarious elements are trying to link the two events to advance their illegal case and the district Administration denies the allegations in toto.
According to the statement, a prime Kahcharai land patch of 3 Kanals in Khasra No. 223 min in Village Padderpora has been illegally encroached by Mohammad Ibrahim s/o Ab. GaniThoker, Ab. Rashid s/o RamzanThoker and others in early 2019.
The rest of the villagers of Padderpora had been repeatedly insisting on conversion of the said patch into a play ground and last year, the encroachers violently clashed with the rest of the villagers during a confrontation and the encroachers engaged in stone pelting.
Following this ACR Shopian issued orders under Section 145 of CrPC over the said land.
After almost a year, the Section 145 order was revoked in September 2020 and the land was handed over to BDO Hermain for converting it into a playground and on November 3, 2020, an official team led by Tehsildar Hermain, DySP Shopian, SHO Shopian, NT Hermain, BDO Hermain and others proceeded on the spot to undertake the ground leveling work.
The team faced resistance from the women among the encroachers who violently obstructed the process and no levelling could be undertaken by the team.
In the meantime, Abdul Salam Son of Mohd Rajab, Age 70 yrs, a relative of the encroachers and who was a long term heart patient suffering from Hypertension and was present in PHC Mohandpora in Kulgam district that day, passed away in the afternoon in the PHC and his dead body was later brought to DH Shopian in an ambulance for Postmortem.
Meanwhile, back in Padderpora, the encroachers escalated their violent resistance and started stone pelting on the team of officers following which they left the scene of the incidence to avoid any further violence. No levelling or encroachment destruction work could be undertaken by the team.
An FIR No.307/202 of 3-11-2020 u/s 452, 354, 506 & 427 of IPC was lodged in PS Shopian in connection with the stone pelting and violence undertaken by the encroachers.
KV News
