Kashmiri Traders: Bring Rizwan's Killers to Justice

Srinagar: Kashmiri businessmen and civil society members, here on Saturday, March 23, expressed anguish at the alleged silence of the world community and rights organisations over the 'repeated brutalisation of Kashmiris'.

Addressing a media conference, Sheikh Ashiq, president of the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), said, "The business community and the local civil society have organised this press conference to collectively express our anguish at the perennial silence of the world community and human rights organisations over the repeated brutalisation of our community."

He said the battered body of Rizwan Asad Pandit, a 29-year-old school teacher, picked up for questioning on March 17, was returned to the family on March 19.

According to the family, marks on the body proved that he was subjected to extreme physical violence.

The video of his final ablution, shared on social media by his brother, showed torture and burn marks, the KCCI chief said and alleged it was widely believed that Rizwan died in the custody due to physical torture inflicted upon him.

On the magisterial inquiry ordered into it, Ashiq said most such inquiries end up without any results.

"Such inquiries, suffering from institutional bias and state interference, have rarely served the interests of justice. We have reasons to believe this killing would also see the same fate and killers would roam free, more confident in that their crimes will never be brought to account," he said.

Appealing Governor Satya Pal Malik for a time-bound independent special commission of inquiry, the KCCI president said, "Till the time the commission submits the report, it would serve the ends of justice if the case is treated to be as one of custodial killing and all persons associated with it are put behind bars and kept away from active duty.”

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