-The Indian Express
Srinagar: A day after an elderly woman was allegedly beaten to death by the police after raiding her house in south Kashmir, the Jammu and Kashmir Police have arrested two of their men as well as the woman’s son-in-law for dumping a banned herb in her house. However, the two policemen have been booked for only minor offence, and no case pertaining to murder, assault and intrusion has been registered so far.
“We have arrested two Special Police Officers and the son-in-law of the woman. The son-in-law had informed the police (about the presence of a banned herb at her house). We have initiated an inquiry against a sub-inspector and three constables,” Deputy Inspector General, South Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said. The police have identified the arrested SPOs as Mohammad Ashraf and Fayaz Ahmad and SI as Mohammad Sultan.
On Saturday, a 65-year-old woman died after the police raided her house at Ahlan Gadool village of Kokernag. Villagers alleged that the policemen beat her after which she complained of chest pain and later died in a hospital. On Saturday, the police had said that she developed chest pain after the police party left the spot and died in a hospital. They had claimed to recover 3.3 kg of banned forest herb Discoreia from her house.
Sources said that the policemen, in league with the woman’s son-in-law Abdul Majid Deka, had dumped Discoreia in the house, beat her, and that a case of criminal conspiracy has been registered against them.
The police said they were waiting for the post mortem report before initiating action. Sources said that preliminary report suggested head injury as the cause of death. “The report also shows an injury near an eye and bruises all over the body,” they said. The death of the woman had triggered protests in Kokernag and its adjoining villages on Saturday.
The woman’s son Rafiq Ahmed, reportedly a militant, was killed in a 2000 encounter. Her other son Mohammad Ismail disappeared soon after Rafiq’s death.