As mysterious death of 2 women completes yr, Kashmir govt charges docs with fudging evidence to defame Indian soldiers

Srinagar, May 27: As the mysterious death of two women in South Kashmir’s Shopian township will complete a year on May 30, the Indian Kashmir government has charged the doctors, who performed autopsies on two women, with fudging evidence to defame the police and Indian security forces.

Two women Neelofar (22), who was pregnant, and her 17-year old sister-in-law Asiya were found dead during the night intervening May 29/30, 2009 under mysterious circumstances near a shallow stream in Shopian township, some 55 kms south of Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir.

Police, para military and military camps are situated near the Ranbiara stream, where from the bodies of two women were recovered, leading to the apprehension that there may be hand of men in uniform in the death of two women.

The locals and the family members of the victims alleged that the two women were raped and killed by Indian police and soldiers. Their views were corroborated by the autopsy reports prepared by the local doctors, who admitted that the two women were gang raped and killed.

After hue and cry, protests, shutdowns and clashes, the Kashmir government appointed a one-man commission to probe the mysterious death of two women. In its report, the Commission concluded that the two women were sexually assaulted and ruled out that the women died of drowning stating that the water in stream was too shallow and no drowning incident has been reported in last 10 years. However, the Commission could not identify the perpetrators of the crime.

Later, the government handed over the case to India’s prime investigative agency Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI). As a shock for everybody CBI in its report ruled out rape and murder of two women and stated that the two women had drowned in the ‘shallow water’. It also filed charges against 13 persons including six doctors and five lawyers for ‘misleading’ the investigations. The India’s investigative agency blamed doctors for fudging the evidence and gave clean chit to all police officers, who were suspended during the trial for their varying roles.

However, CBI investigations have been rejected by people of Shopian, the family members of the victims, separatist and religious groups and leaders of Kashmir. They have termed the CBI findings as a cover-up and have called for international probe into the incident to expose the perpetrators of the crime.

Acting on the CBI report, the Kashmir government has now initiated inquiry against the doctors who performed autopsy on the dead women (present suspended) and filed charges against them of defaming police and security forces.

Government in its communication has informed the accused doctors that it proposes to hold an inquiry against them for ‘fabricating the evidence’ in the rape and murder case of Asiya Jan and Neelofar in May last year.

Government has asked the doctors to submit written statement of their defence within 21 days and if they fail, the inquiry is liable to be held ex-parte.

The chargesheet further states that “it had been found that the accused doctors fabricated and fudged the slides with an objective of defaming the police and security forces. The conduct and behavior of the doctors had been prima facie found to have become cause of general strikes in the state and also resulted in the death of civilians”.

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National Turk / India – Faiz Ahmad

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