Terming the death of youngsters in the ongoing disturbances in Jammu and Kashmir unfortunate, the State government told the Supreme Court on Monday that the death of a 26-year-old in July was caused by pellet injuries.
Abdul Rehman Mir had alleged that his son Shabir Ahmad Mir was shot by the police at his home at point blank range on July 10. The Jammu and Kashmir Police, however, claimed he died during protests in the Valley.
Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the State government, told a bench of Justices P.C. Ghose and Amitava Roy that the post mortem report belied the father’s claim. “It’s an unfortunate incident. We are not treating it as an adversarial litigation. It is unfortunate that young people are dying in disturbances in the State,” Mr. Rohatgi said.
The bench posted the matter for further hearing on November 23.
On August 12, the apex court had ordered exhumation and autopsy on Shabir’s body under the supervision of the District and Sessions Judge. Mr. Rohatgi had assured the court that the probe would have the highest level of transparency and the authorities would leave no stone unturned to get to the bottom of the case.
The apex court observed that it was a serious matter and such a situation should be handled humanely and with extreme sensitivity.
The family of the deceased has contested the State’s plea, claiming the killing to be a separate incident that had nothing to do with the first information report registered by the police.
