Srinagar:A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team here on Monday exhumed the bodies of Shopian rape and murder victims. Earlier, the exhumation of the
bodies was scheduled for Sunday. But it was delayed by a day as a team of experts
from New Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) failed to arrive
here. Asiya (17) and her sister-in-law Neelofar (22) were raped and killed in
Shopian during the intervening night of May 29-30. The CBI recently took charge
of the case from the Special Investigation Team (SIT). Last month, the Jammu and
Kashmir Government had decided to hand over the case to the CBI. On September
12, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court had granted bail to four policemen who were
accused of having a role in the case. The policemen -- Former Superintendent of
Police of Shopian Javed Iqbal Mattoo, Deputy Superintendent of Police Rohit Baskota,
Station House Officer Shopian Shafiq Ahmed and Sub-inspector Gazi Abdul Rehman
-- were released on payment of a bond of Rs.50, 000 each. The four had been accused
of destroying evidence related to the case. Granting of bail came almost a month
after the same court rejected an earlier bail plea. The court had then rejected
their plea under the Section 497 of the CRPC (discretionary powers of the judge
to grant bail or not). The four had also moved a petition in the Supreme Court
against the ruling of J and K High Court, to arrest these officers and also to
collect blood samples to prepare the DNA mapping of these officers. An apex court
bench headed by the Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan had asked the Shopian sessions
court to expeditiously consider the bail pleas. During the hearing, the bench
had said the High Court should have left it to the superior police officers to
investigate the case and should have entitled the police officers to move for
bail before the appropriate court. The bench had also expressed surprise that
only because of agitation the investigation was handed over to the Special Investigation
Team (SIT). The J and K High Court, hearing a Public Interest Litigation Petition
(PIL) filed by J and K High Court Bar Association in connection with alleged rape
and murder of Neelofar and Aasiya Jan in Shopian ordered for the arrest of four
police officers who were suspended in the same the case.
