The Business of 'Fake' Encounters

The news of Fake Encounters really shaked my heart. From today onwards, I won't be at the same mood seeing 'routine' killing of militants in Kashmir. As it was in the case of 'Abu Hafiz', the LeT Commander. Army sources told us that he was killed an 'encounter' with SOG (Special Operations Group) on 8th December. And the person who actually killed him, got an award of 120,000Rs (almost US$ 2700).

Almost after one and half months, another prize was offered by an old man, Ghulam Rasool Padroo at Rambagh Police Station near Srinagar. He offered 20,000 Rs to the ASP to find out his missing son Abdul Rehman Padroo, a father of 5 children, a carpenter in profession. The connection between the mentioned incidents is known to us. A DNA examination will be carried out to confirm the the killing of Abdul in a chilling 'fake encounter'.

The key to this was Constable Farooq Rehman Padroo, a relative of Abdul. Abdul used to work at Rural Development department as a daily wage worker. He paid bribe of Rs. 75,000 to Farooq to ensure a permanent job in that operation. But neither the job was ensured, nor the money came back. 8th December, 2006, he called him to the Police Station. Abdul never returned back. It is alleged that Farooq, with his four associates in the Police Station, killed Abdul and distributed the money among themselves.

Sources : Anandabazar Patrika and Hindustan Times(along with two more cases of Nazir Ahmad Deka and Shoukat Ahmad Khan).

The latest update : The SSP Hansraj Parihar and his deputy Bahadur Ram are been arrested in the connection. The tension continues in Kashmir. TOI reports that even ShivSena is protesting these fake encounters.

How can we survive the corruption by lawkeepers? Or perhaps we can if we have some money to engage a few people, a few renouned lawyers, a few NGOs and media. But, what's really a price of a carperner in a terror-prone Kashmir? What can his family do to save his life? Nothing ... practically.