Five-member SIT constituted to probe killing of a man by alleged cow vigilantes in Bhaderwah

The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Saturday constituted a five-member Special Investigation Team to inquire into the death of an individual in firing in Bhaderwah town of Doda district in Jammu last week. Curfew had been imposed on Thursday after violence erupted over the killing of Nayeem by alleged cow vigilantes earlier in the day.

“A five-member SIT headed by Superintendent of Police, Bhaderwah, Raj Singh Gouria has been constituted to probe the killing of Shah,” Doda Senior Superintendent of Police Shabir Ahmad Malik told PTI. “We are at the scene [of the incident] as part of the investigation after the setting up of the SIT although the probe of the case has already started soon after the incident.”

The other members are Prosecution Officer Temoor Jahangir Khan, Station House Officer Munir Ahmed Khan, officers Ehsan-ullah-Haq, Safdar Hussain and Parveen Kumar, Greater Kashmir reported.

Gouria said a gun allegedly used in the killing has been discovered and sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory for testing. The police have arrested eight people in the case so



far.

Doda Deputy Commissioner of Police Sagar Doifode said three people, all non-residents, were arrested for allegedly pelting stones. “The situation is well under control,” he said. “We are reviewing the situation later in the day and will decide about relaxation in the curfew accordingly.”

Authorities in Bhaderwah destroyed around 100 illegal structures in a drive against encroachment on Saturday. The Bhaderwah Municipal Committee demolished structures in Seri Bazaar, Jai Road, Ganpat Bazaar, Takia Chowk, Sadar Bazaar, Laxmi Narayan Chowk, Jamia Masjid locality and Pasri Bus Stand.

“We removed more than 100 illegal temporary structures, as these were not only nuisance for the common public but also creating law and order problem day in and out,” Bhaderwah Municipal Corporation Executive Officer Mohammad Ashraf Zargar told.

Doda is part of a communally sensitive belt in Jammu. In the neighbouring district of Kishtwar, a BJP leader was killed last year and an RSS leader last month, after which Hindutva groups called for a strike to protest against killings.