SRINAGAR: The investigations into the fake encounter case in which five bodies of civilians were exhumed took a new turn on Thursday when the DNA reports from the Central Forensic Laboratory (CFL), Chandigarh, confirmed that the two bodies exhumed in Ganderbal area were of Abdur Rehman Padder of Kokernag and Moulvi Showkat of Banihal. Reports in three other cases are awaited.

Consequently, the police have registered a fresh case against the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police and Manasbal-based 13 Rashtriya Rifles under sections 302 and 364 in Zadibal police station, where the missing report about Moulvi Showkat Khatana was lodged when he went missing during the intervening night of October 4 and 5 last year.

Claim

The SOG Ganderbal and 13 Rashtriya Rifles had claimed on October 6 that a foreign militant named Abu Zahid of Karachi was killed in an encounter and that the locals had buried the body in the Bazipora graveyard.

However, after the lid was taken off the missing case of Padder — the carpenter from Kokernag — four more bodies were exhumed and this was one of them.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Deputy Inspector-General (Central Kashmir) Farooq Ahmad, exhumed the bodies and samples were taken from Showkat's father Noor Alam and also his brother and sent to the CFL.

The report, which was received by the SIT on Thursday, has confirmed that the body was of Moulvi Showkat and not of Abu Zahid.

"This is conclusive evidence and we will move further in the case," said Mr. Ahmad.

Similarly, the DNA test report in the case of the father and son of Padder has confirmed that it was his body and not of Abu Hafiz, a foreign militant, as claimed by the SOG and 24 Rashtriya Rifles.

"This is scientific evidence which we will be producing in the court," said the DIG adding that it would help the investigation.

However, sources said Rashtriya Rifles officers were not cooperating in the probe and even refused to accept summons issued by the court.

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