By INS
Srinagar: The State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has directed the state government to pay Rs 5 lakh compensation to next of kin of Farahat Ahmad Dar, a 20-year-old youth who was allegedly killed in ‘police firing’ at Naidkhai area of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district in March 2014.
Disposing of a suo moto case regarding the youth’s killing, Justice (retd) Bilal Nazki, Chairperson of the Commission, directed the government to pay the compensation within a period of eight weeks.
On 14 March 2014, Farhat Ahmad Dar, a resident of Shahgund Sonawari, police allegedly opened fire to disperse a group of pro-freedom protesters in Naidkhai area. In the firing, several persons suffered injuries and they were shifted to Sub-District Hospital Pattan. One of them, Dar, was declared as brought dead by the doctors who attended upon him.
According to local Block Medical Officer (BMO), Dar had received two bullets on his heart.
Farhat, who had gone to Naidkhai to offer Friday prayers on the fateful day, was a school dropout at 10th class and was working as a labourer to earn his livelihood. He was survived by parents and a sister.
Deputy Commissioner Bandipora had ordered a magisterial probe into the incident but its outcome remained restricted to official record.
On the fateful, police issued a press release about its version of the incident: “Today (March 14) in evening hours, an unruly mob in Naidkhai Sumbal attacked a security personnel vehicle and tried to set it ablaze. Security personnel boarding in the vehicle fired in air to disperse the mob in which one person got injured. The injured person was identified as Farhat Ahmad Dar son of Ghulam Rasool resident of Shahgund, Sumbal who unfortunately died on way to the hospital. Appropriate action is being taken into the matter