Army indicts 5 of its own for J&K killing,Omar says proof of his govts resolve

Mohammad Amin Tantray and Javid Ahmad Dar were killed and another youth Firdous Ahmed was injured in the firing by troops of 22 Rashtriya Rifles,sparking massive protests in the area.

The charges besides the failure to exercise desired command and control by the Junior Commissioned Officer also encompasses failure by two soldiers to exercise restraint in the handling of their weapon during the incident, the spokesman said.

The spokesman said that disciplinary action against the three individuals has been ordered by General Officer Commanding of Counter Insurgency Force (Kilo),which will commence with immediate effect.

Earlier,an inquiry commission headed by former Baramulla Deputy Commissioner Baseer Ahmad Khan had indicted the Army for killing two civilians without any provocation and said that the action was not only disproportionate but breached all operational procedures.

Taking credit for the prompt probe and its indictment,J-K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said his government would follow words with action and ensure severe punishment to those guilty.

Such incidents are an embarrassment for my government, Abdullah said. We feel very uncomfortable. But it is our resolve to take tough action on human rights violations. When we say that there will be zero tolerance (for human rights abuses),it means they will not be brushed under carpet.

Abdullah,in fact,cited the quick action to score a larger political point against the Opposition Peoples Democratic Party. When we took over on January 5,we promised we will not tolerate any human rights violations.

Taking a direct dig at PDP,Abdullah said: For us,zero tolerance does not mean ordering inquiries without any tangible outcome. It is not about parading families of victims and giving out cheques of relief. For us it is not getting the Corps Commander to put his hand over the heads of the victims children. For us,zero tolerance is action of such nature that will discourage recurrence. It is a transparent and time-bound probe.

Abdullah said that the report submitted after the magisterial enquiry ordered by him and the subsequent Army probe have both indicted the security personnel for murder.

There are people in the armed forces who think they do not come under the ambit of the law and do not follow the Standard Operations Procedure. Now any violation of SOP will be severely punished, he said.

He stressed that Army authorities were fully co-operating with his administration. I want to make it clear that the Army conducted their probe in a very transparent manner. There has never been a question that the Army wants to shield anybody, he said. There has been no discord whatsoever between the civil administration and the army.

Abdullah said he is the first sitting Chief Minister who has called for the revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act. I am sure these acts will be revoked in our tenure, he said.

He promised that the Rashtriya Rifles camp in Bomai will be relocated within next four five days. This camp is bordering a girls school and it has been a long- standing demand of the girls and their parents that they feel uncomfortable because of the camp, he said.

Referring to the killing of a civilian in Pulwama by the personnel of the Central Reserve Police Forces,Abdullah said that the erring men and officer were immediately suspended while the J-K police has registered a case.

There has been a substantial decline in militant violence and we want the people to feel the difference on ground by making the armed forces less visible, he said.