Srinagar, Aug 25 : Family of 17-year old teen Umar Qayoom of Soura area of Srinagar outskirts Wednesday staged a silent protest at Press Enclave Srinagar seeking justice and demanding submission of chargesheet in the court of law. Umar Qayoom allegedly died at SKIMS hospital in 2010 after his internal organs were “damaged after police beat him during detention” at Soura police station in Srinagar. Qayoom’s sister, Arzeeba and his father Abdul Qayoom who is a shopkeeper by profession emerged in Press Enclave Srinagar saying that it took them 8 long years to get an FIR (97/2018 under section 302 RPC) registered on the orders of court. “My brother was killed in 2010. We moved to court and in 2018, on the directions of Chief Judicial Magistrate and FIR was filed with the directions that the case should be investigated thoroughly. Since 2018, we are waiting that police will file a chargesheet in the court of law but till date there is no progress,” Arzeeba, the slain youth Umar Qayoom’s young sister told reporters. She was carrying a yellow placard demanding answers to her questions from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the poor justice system prevailing in Valley. “I want to ask our Prime Minister Modi who said in 2019 that there will be Naya Kashmir. I want to ask him, where is Naya Kashmir? Does it take 8 years to file an FIR and 3 years to file a chargesheet in Naya Kashmir? Is this Naya Kashmir?” “My brother was tortured at police station Soura in 2010 that led to his death in the hospital. We want justice and action against the guilty police personnel,” she said. Pertinently, in 2010 during National Conference-Congress coalition government led by Omar Abdullah, over 100 Kashmiri youth were killed during what is called ‘summer agitation- that started after the killing of 3 persons in Machil encounter which people dubbed as a ‘fake’ encounter. Koul Commission was constituted by Omar Abdullah then to investigate the killing of over 100 youth. Justice Koul submitted the report that was never made to public. (KNT)
