VIVEK SHARMA
JAMMU: To favour a former National Conference Minister besides some IAS and IPS officers from facing serious charges of their involvement in Kishtwar riots-2013, the government has kept the Justice R C Gandhi Commission of Inquiry (COI) Report in cold storage. And, all those, indicted in the report, have been given vital and lucrative postings.
Voices are getting louder that if reports of judicial commissions are treated like this, everyone will ultimately lose faith in such inquiries.
STATE TIMES has gained access to some excerpts of the Report wherein Justice Gandhi Commission has highlighted evidences of involvement of officers with detailed references. Interestingly, all of them enjoyed plum postings and that too when PDP-BJP formed the government. BJP’s 25 MLAs from Jammu province even forgot the arson after sharing power with PDP.
The then DIG Doda-Kishtwar Ashkoor Wani, whose involvement has been reflected clearly in Justice Gandhi Commission Report is currently holding a pivotal assignment as DIG Jammu. Not only this, the Report also exposes his involvement in a most sensational Srinagar Sex Scandal. The Gandhi Commission Report, giving reference of High Court highlighted his character while discussing the statement of Gulshan alias Peppsi, who had implicated Ashkoor Wani in a sex case.
Out of much, just a reference of the statement is extracted of only one girl who had stated that “I can identify Ashkoor Wani as well as the flat where he had intercourse with me.” The Justice Gandhi Commission Report even mentions that “It has been again discussed by the Court while discussing the statement of one Farooq Reshi, DySP, who stated that “I came to know that one Lady Constable Kausar used to visit quarter No Z-5 to meet Ashkoor Wani. I also learnt that Ashkoor Wani had provided a house to her at Dal Gate. Constable Kausar has since been discharged from service.”
The Justice Gandhi Commission Report adds, “This high profile officer has been exploiting the helpless girls on certain false promises to satisfy his lust of sex.”
“On noticing the conduct of Constable Kausar, an exploited girl has been discharged from service, whereas the exploiter, like Ashkoor Wani is still in service. This is how such high profile officers manage whatever may be against them and also get promotions, keeping into consideration their so-called good work done,” says Gandhi report.
Moreover, for his involvement in arson, quoting some statements, part of Gandhi Commission Report reads as “One Sunil Sharma, son of Bansi Lal Sharma has stated that the Deputy Inspector General of Police is very close to the Minister and the conspiracy which has been planned, the Deputy Inspector General of Police is the part of that conspiracy and whenever the Minister comes to Kishtwar the Deputy Inspector General of Police does not miss a visit to meet the Minister and the Imam of Jama Masjid”.
“The whole plan of conspiracy is the handiwork of Minister, Deputy Inspector General of Police Wani, Deputy Commissioner Saleem Mohammed and others”. He has further stated that the Deputy Inspector General of Police was having spare Nafri of about 1600 officers/police personnel in District Doda and about 2500 Police officers/personnel of the Armed Police, CRPF and SSB in surplus.
Knowing that the situation in Kishtwar had worsened, Ashkoor Wani did not move the Nafri to Kishtwar to save the situation. Had he moved the Nafri from Kishtwar to the extent of even 300 personnel it would have reached there by 12.30 PM. and the burning of the Bazar would have been saved? He deliberately did it so as he was part of the conspiracy. SP Shiv Kumar Singh Chouhan has stated that additional force of CRPF, Armed Police and SSB to the extent of 800 persons in District Doda and 1225 persons in District Ramban were available as surplus. The witness has stated that had the Nafri, even half of it, been moved from any of the two districts to Kishtwar, the tragedy would have been averted so far as burning of the Bazar is concerned. The witness stated that since the first occurrence took place at about 10.00 A.M. and half of the spare Nafri of District Doda, i.e. 400 personnel if moved to Kishtwar that would had reached by 12.00 Noon as the distance could be easily scaled within half an hour. In that event, it would have great impact of law and order. Not sending the Nafri from District Doda and Ramban was a deliberate act and had rather supplemented the occurrence. Had the Deputy Inspector General of Police, who was competent to move this force, moved it, the situation would have been different?”
Thanks to our politicians who didn’t find any other suitable officer and interestingly for over six months, DIG Ashkoor Wani was given two charges as DIG Traffic and DIG Jammu.
The Justice Gandhi Commission Report, eating dust in Civil Secretariat, has categorically mentioned NC leader and the then MoS Home Sajjad Ahmed Kitchloo and DIG Ashkoor Wani’s role. “They allowed the arson to occur wherein over 100 shops of Hindus were looted and then burnt to ashes”, Report says.
DIG Ashkoor Wani, after submission of the Report to the government, got important postings as DIG Traffic and then DIG Jammu.
The then MoS Home Sajjad Kitchloo, DIG Ashkoor Wani are among around 60 civil and police officers, who have been indicted by the Justice Gandhi Commission, which was constituted to look into communal riots and violence in Kishtwar town after Eid prayers.
During the nine-hour-long free-for-all on August 9, 2013, three persons had lost their lives, over 80 injured and more than 100 shops a large number of houses and commercial establishments were reduced to ashes prompting the then Omar Abdullah government to impose a curfew in Jammu province.
