Srinagar: The District Magistrate of Shopian will start recording the statement of witnesses from tomorrow in the killings of five persons in last week's CRPF firing, an official spokesman said.
“Any person having knowledge about the firing incidents which took place at Gagran in Shopian on September 7 (in which four persons were killed) and September 11 (leading to death of one youth) and desiring to share such information with the inquiry officer can do so from September 16 to September 21,” the spokesman said today.
The witnesses can depose before the District Magistrate, who has been appointed as the inquiry officer, in his office chamber orally or in writing in the form of an affidavit.
The CRPF had claimed that its camp at Gagran in Shopian was attacked on September 7 and the casualties (four persons) took place in retaliatory firing.
The police, however, said three of the slain youth were local residents and had no links to militancy. The fourth youth—who is yet to be identified—was believed to be a Pakistani militant Abdullah Haroon.
Local residents, separatists and civil society groups contested the police claim about the identity of the fourth person and claimed that he was a non-kashmiri labourer.
