A change of mind confuses officials

A change of mind confuses officials
MAQBOOL V RAY

SUNGLAN (ANANTNAG), APRIL 8: The exhumation story took a new turn on Friday when Roshan Jan, 50, wife of Jumma Khan, who had on Thursday claimed one of the exhumed bodies as that of her husband, on seeing the third body which was exhumed on Friday changed her statement.

To everybody's chagrin, as the third body was exhumed on Friday, she rushed towards the grave and raising her hands started crying loudly. In between she repeatedly murmured in a choked voice, "this body is of my husband not the one I saw yesterday (Thursday)."

Even her son Rashid Khan who was standing nearby supported his mother's claims. This change of statement confused officials and experts present on the site.

As officials, in the presence of forensic experts exhumed the third body on Friday, the wife of Jumma Khan (Roshan) and her son Rashid, after carefully observing the body for a few minutes started crying loudly.

What made her to say that the body she saw today (on Friday) is that of her husband's? "The ring in one of the fingers is enough a prove his identity. Now there is no doubt left in my mind," she wailed.

After resuming her breath she continued, "Yesterday, because of half face (that could be seen) I was not hundred per cent sure. But today, I have no doubt left."

Her son, Rashid had a tough time controlling her. She had to be literally dragged away from the site as she repeatedly rushed towards the exhumed body and cried.

Interestingly, when the graves were opened on Thursday, on seeing the second exhumed body she had then told officials that the facial impressions, the beard and the nose is enough to prove that the body was of her husband's.

When someone among the officials asked her how she was so confident about her claim as the body had a half face because it was blown off by a rocket during an encounter with the army.

She had angrily replied, "I have spent half of my life with this man. How can I go wrong?"

Javed Makhdoomi, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, South Kashmir, who was also present on the spot said that after observing the change in statement, one cannot accept the identity of the bodies unless the DNA test is performed.

The other body which was exhumed on Friday was identified as that of another Juma Khan, son of Amirullah Khan of Brariangan. Due to security reasons, the fifth body was to be exhumed on Saturday.

However, the mystery behind the disappearance of Bashir Ahmad Bhat and Yosuf, both from village Halan in Verinag, continued to haunt their family members. For two days, they have been standing expectantly at the site where the bodies are being exhumed. However, from the four graves opened so far, they have yet to find their relative's body.

The family members and relatives of Zahoor Ahmad Dalal, a businessman from Anantnag, who went missing after parking his car on March 24, remained firm about their claim. "We have no doubts about the body we have seen. The burnt maroon sweater on the charred body was enough for identification," said Nazir Ahmad Dalal, his maternal uncle who had on Thursday identified the body.

The state government had ordered exhumation of the bodies of all the five persons who the army and the police claim are militants killed in an encounter at Zontangri peak just a few hundred metres from this graveyard. The Army and the police claimed that these five slain 'militants' had beeninvolved in the massacre of 35 Sikhs at Chitti Singhpora on March 20.

The local population in this hamlet, Vuzkhal and adjoining villages, Chogam,Sumlam and Panchalthan have been accusing the army and the police of killingfive civilians in a stage-managed encounter. As the missing villagersbelonged to the nearby villages, these killings led to mass protests in theentire Anantnag district.

The Chief Minister ordered a judicial probe by a senior Supreme Court judge. Subsequently, he ordered exhumation of the slain persons after police fired upon demonstrating villagers, killing eight of them and wounding dozens.