J-K govt wants CBI to probe Shopian case

New Delhi: Under constant pressure from the Opposition parties, Jammu and Kashmir government on Wednesday decided to hand over the rape-murder case involving two women in Shopian to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Sources say that a decision to this effect was unanimously taken by the government.

But the government has also made it clear that it will oppose any direction from the Jammu and Kashmir High Court to seek its concurrence before handing over probe to the CBI.

Hearing in the case has been deferred by the High Court to August 18 when the state government is expected to inform about its decision, the source said.

Bodies of 22-year-old Neelofar and her sister-in-law, 17-year-old Asiya were recovered from a stream on May 30 after they went missing in town the previous evening, sparking off massive protests by locals who suspected security personnel in the alleged rape and murder.

The investigations into the rape and murder of two women took a new turn on Wednesday when there were reports that key forensic evidence relating to the vaginal swabs of the two victims were allegedly tampered with.

While there was no official word from either the Central Forensic Sciences Laboratory, Delhi or Jammu and Kashmir Government, official sources said the two slides of vaginal swabs sent by the Special Investigating Team to the CFSL do not match with that of the two victims -- Neelofar and Aasiya.

The Special Investigating Team headed by Inspector General of Police (Kashmir), Farooq Ahmed, had sent these to CFSL for making a DNA profile of the tissue cells present in slides.

The CFSL made attempts to compare the vaginal swabs with that of the viscera and blood samples of the two victims but it did not match, sources said, prompting the CFSL officials to conclude that the slides said to be prepared from vaginal swab of the victims were actually drawn from some other women.

A quick internal inquiry found that the slides were first taken to Forensic Sciences Laboratory in Srinagar which refused to accept them saying that sealing was not proper.

According to the daily diary of the case, the slides were first taken to the residence of a doctor where they were sealed and handed over to the FSL.

The CFSL findings are likely to be placed before the Jammu and Kashmir High Court tomorrow when it will review the status of the case.

It may be mentioned that a doctor of Pulwama, Nazia Hassan, had deposed before a one-man Justice Jan Commission stating that she could not conduct the vaginal examination of the victims because of 'rigor mortis' (stiffness in the body after death).

The state Government had appointed the Commission headed by Justice (retd) Muzzafar Jan to probe into the killing of two women which led to widespread protests in the valley.

Now the investigators find themselves in a limbo as no additional swab of the victims was available and the family of the two -- Neelofar and Aasiya -- had not given permission to exhume the bodies despite requests by the High Court.

In a related development, the Special Investigating Team has not been able to secure any of the blood samples of the villagers or question any of the family members despite recommendations by the Jan Commission.

The Commission in its report had said there was clear indication suggesting enmity between Neelofar's maiden family and her in-laws.

"The conduct of Zeerak Shah (Neelofar's brother) has been highly suspicious and objectionable after the death of Neelofar and Asiya Jan," the Commission said in its report.

Bodies of Neelofar (22) and her sister-in-law Asiya (17) were recovered from a stream on May 30 after they went missing in town the previous evening, sparking off massive protests by locals who suspected hand of security personnel in the alleged rape and murder.

About Shakeel Ahmad Ahangar, husband of Neelofar, the Commission said he did not have a good reputation in the society and was known for indulging in immoral activities.

His assets were disproportionate to his known sources of income and required an indepth probe about his role, the Commission said.

Besides this, the investigating team was yet to carry out an exercise over the mysterious letter purportedly written by a male classmate of Aasiya, one of the victims, claiming she might have been murdered by her own family members.

The letter was received at a Police station in Shopian claiming that the two were on friendly terms which was not liked by her brother Shakeel.

The letter was posted immediately after unrest broke out following recovery of the bodies of the two women on May 30 but it was reported to have been delivered at the police station only after the 47-day-long protests ended, sources said, adding the police had made the letter a case property and were now trying to trace the writer of the letter.

The writer had claimed that he had met Aasiya on the fateful day of May 29 along with Neelofar at the nearby orchards that evening.

However, they were spotted by Shakeel, prompting the two women to run away from the area, the letter said, requesting the police to probe the matter fearing the victims may have been murdered by family members.

When contacted, Ahanghar said he was ready to appear before the investigating agencies.