NC trashes report that Omar asked ex-SSP to ‘bump off’ Alam

Omar Abdullah

After a news website reported that former SSP, Srinagar, Ashiq Bukhari was asked by former CM Omar Abdullah why he didn’t “bump off” separatist leader Masarat Alam, the National Conference on Wednesday called the allegations “untrue, malicious and defamatory”.
NC spokesperson Junaid Mattu also said they are contemplating a course of action against Bukhari.

The report on the website, authintmail.com, quoted former Senior Superintendent of Police Bukhari as saying: “It took us months of hard work coupled with human and technical intelligence to get ourselves on his (Alam’s) track. Towards the end, we put his mother’s telephone on surveillance and traced him to a relative’s home in Hazratbal area. We caught him in a neat and clean operation. Chief minister greeted me but asked on phone, ‘Why didn’t you bump off this man? Why did you get him alive?’ Though there was only cash reward of Rs 1 million on his head, which I received from the DGP, Omar Abdullah gave me extra Rs 1.5 million from his own pocket. He also granted an out of turn promotion to seven personnel of my team.”

When contacted by The Indian Express, Bukhari said that he had been “wrongly quoted”.
“I only told them Omar Abdullah rewarded us with Rs 15 lakh after the arrest of Alam and also gave out of turn promotions to seven police officials,” he said.

Meanwhile, human rights groups expressed outrage. “These allegations confirm the truth that extra-judicial executions, torture, disappearances and other crimes have been routinely used by the Indian State to control the population of J&K,” said Khurram Parvez, coordinator of J&K Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS).

“These allegations merely substantiate the pre-existing evidence on the numerous fake encounters and other crimes committed in J&K,” Parvez added.

Parvez also called for “formal criminal investigations” against Abdullah. “Today’s revelations must lead to public accountability of all cash rewards given to armed forces, including police who, as Indian State mercenaries, have committed crimes in J&K,” Parvez said.

“The corruption that fuels crimes must be investigated, along with the crimes themselves. As an immediate step, Bukhari must stand by his statements and we will file a case against Abdullah,” Parvez added.

Source:: Indian Express