Author: Muzamil Jaleel & Majid Jahangir
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: September 23, 2008
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/via-phonetap-3-held-for-hurriyat-mans-killing/364747/
Almost 40 days after the killing of Hurriyat
leader Sheikh Abdul Aziz during the massive protest march along the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad
road on August 11 - in which three other protesters were killed in police
and CRPF firing - the J&K Police have arrested three neighbours from Baramulla
for their alleged role in Aziz's killing.
They are: unani doctor Tariq Ahmed Teli; salesman
at a shoe shop Irfan Akhoon; and a former militant Ashraf Akhoon, who now
runs a poultry farm. They were arrested six days ago after late-night raids
at their homes in Khanpora, Baramulla.
Incidentally, the first casualty in police
firing that day was Manzoor Akhoon, cousin of prime accused Ashraf Akhoon.
According to a report based on Ashraf's interrogation
- a copy of which is with The Indian Express - Ashraf's cellphone was under
surveillance right through the rally from 9 am to 11.45 pm. The report says
Ashraf had four SIM cards and used only one (9469289255) to talk to Furqan,
a militant commander based in PoK. As many as 31 conversations between him
and Furqan that day were recorded by the police.
In one of these, Furqan, the report says,
told Ashraf to hand over the phone to Hurriyat leader Shabir Shah who was
with Aziz in the march that day. Shah is in jail under the Public Safety Act
and there are no details in the report about any conversation between Shah
and Furqan. The report is also silent on why there was no immediate action
if Ashraf was being tapped throughout. The report says the killing happened
at least half a km away from Chahal which contradicts the official version
that Aziz was injured in Chahal itself. When asked about these, senior police
officers declined to comment. The report says the pistol allegedly used by
Ashraf was kept "at (his) home for 15 days" and then given to a
released militant. It's yet to be recovered.