Two weeks after terrorists opened fire on three houses, another 23-year-old man died under mysterious circumstances in the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Saturday, adding three cops were suspended in connection with the case.
Sher Singh, a resident of Dagal village of Kalakote sub-division in Rajouri district, used to work in Sunderbani as a labourer and was reported missing while returning to his home on Thursday to celebrate Lohri festival, the official said.
However, they said he was later found dead and his body was handed over to his family for last rites.
His family refused to perform his last rites and instead blocked the road at Solko Morh, demanding an inquiry into the circumstances leading to his death and action against the policemen.
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"On Friday, we came to know that he was lying in a drunken state at Siot and instead of shifting him to hospital, the policemen took him to the police station,” a relative of the deceased said.
On the assurance of fair investigation and legal action by Kalakote Additional Deputy Commissioner Krishan Lal and Nowshera Sub Divisional Police Officer Tusif Ahmed, the officials said the body was shifted to the community health centre Kalakote for a postmortem on Saturday evening.
Rajouri Senior Superintendent of Police Mohammad Aslam said three police personnel deployed at police naka Bakhar falling under Dharamsal police station have been placed under suspension for not taking the man to the hospital.
"The inquest proceedings have been initiated in the case,” the officer said.
In another incident, on January 1, suspected terrorists opened fire on three houses of a particular community in a village in Rajouri, killing three civilians and injuring several others. Additional Director General of Police, Jammu Zone, Mukesh Singh said police, along with the Army and the CRPF, launched a massive search operation to nab the two “armed men” behind the attack at Upper Dangri village, about eight kilometres from Rajouri town.
Quoting eyewitnesses, the officials said two suspected terrorists appeared in the village around 7 pm and opened indiscriminate firing on three houses and fled. “The firing ended within 10 minutes. First, they attacked a house in the Upper Dangri and then they moved to 25 meters away and shot several persons there. They also fired on another house 25 meters away from the second house while fleeing the village,” an official said.
(with PTI inputs)
