SRINAGAR: The much-publicised investigations into fake encounters has hit a roadblock. At least two units of the Army's Rashtriya Rifles and the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) have "shown reluctance in cooperating" with the Special Investigation Team (SIT).

The SIT has so far arrested seven persons, including the former Senior Superintendent of Police (Ganderbal), H.R. Parihar, and Deputy Superintendent of Police, Bahadur Ram, and questioned a number of policemen and civilians.

Besides the probe into the kidnapping and killing of carpenter Abdur Rehman Paddar, the team is also investigating four other cases. Even as the officials involved in the investigation into the encounter deaths are hopeful of producing a challan before the court of law within the stipulated time, sources told The Hindu that the progress of the case was slow.

The reason, the sources said, was that at least two units of the Rashtriya Rifles involved in these "encounters" were not cooperating with the team.

Another important factor responsible for the investigations being slow was that BSNL, the most significant resource to unravel the involvement of people, had also shown reluctance in giving information to the team.

The sources said the SIT had given some mobile and landline numbers to BSNL authorities but "they are not cooperating." The sources said that under severe pressure and fear of being "found guilty," the Rashtriya Rifles authorities were weighing the option of seeking the intervention of the court at the highest level and taking the investigations out of the ambit of the police.

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