STRUCTURES OF VIOLENCE

228 | Structures of Violence
At about noon on 22 December 1998, the Special
Operations Group [SOG] personnel cordoned off the
house of victim. Government gunmen [Ikhwans],
including Nazir Ahmad Kandroo, accompanied the
SOG. A police ofcial, Mohammad Yousuf, was also
present. He was heading the SOG raid.
A day prior to the cordon, Abdul Majid Guroo's
business associate, Fateh Mohammad Gazi, had
come home and paid Rs. 1000 that he owed the
victim.
On the day of the cordon, Fateh Mohammad Gazi
came for lunch along with Riyaz Ahmad. Once the
SOG cordoned the house, the victim was called out
and taken away in a gypsy. At that point, another
person, Mohammad Ashraf Peer, was also present
there. He too was taken away by the SOG.
During this incident, Habla Begum was at the hospital
and she returned only after the abduction of Abdul
Majid Guroo and Mohammad Ashraf Peer. Those
present at home explained to her that both of them
were taken by the SOG, along with Nazir Kandroo,
Fateh Mohammad and Riyaz Ahmad. The victim's
mother, Zeba Begum, and his two daughters –
Mehjabeen and Mehnaz – witnessed the actual
abduction. The SOG informed those at home that the
victim would be released soon. After returning home
and learning of the abduction, Habla Begum went to
the police station and lodged a complaint. No FIR was
led.
The following day, she went to the SOG camp at
Kralhaar, Baramulla [near Kanispora]. The Ikhwans
would usually stay at this camp. On that day, the
CRPF personnel who were present there informed
Habla Begum that the victim had been taken to
Baramulla.
On the second day of the arrest, the victim was
brought home by the SOG along with Nazir Kandroo
and Riyaz Ahmad. When the victim was brought
home, Ghulam Mohi-ud-din Dar, the leader of the
Ikhwans, was present [he was later killed by
unidentied gunmen three years later]. He had
bruises on his eyes and was limping. He asked his
mother and brother, Ghulam Qadir Guroo, to arrange
Rs. 12,000 for his release by 4 pm. However, they
were unable to do so. On the following day, the family
went with the money to the Kralhaar camp and offered
the money. But the SOG personnel present refused to
accept the money and denied that any one was
detained in the camp.
They then went to the SP Baramulla and met a person
named Jalla. He informed the family that the victim
was critical and was in a security hospital. He
suggested that the family make an application and
seek a meeting with the victim. They applied for a
meeting. Also, around a week after the victim's arrest,
the family met SSP Baramulla, Mushtaq Sadiq, at the
police headquarters, Baramulla. He said he would
enquire into the matter.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Ashraf Peer was released
after seven days of his arrest. He was released from
police headquarters, Baramulla. Mohammad Ashraf
Peer did not share any information and merely said
that following their arrest they were kept separately.
Habla Begum believes he may have been threatened
to keep silent. [When the IPTK met with him, he
offered very little information.]
One and a half months later, the family once again met
Mushtaq Sadiq. He said he could not give what the
family of the victim wanted – whereabouts of the
victim. But, instead, he asked them how much money
they needed. He said he could provide jobs to both of
the victim's children. He asked Habla Begum to forget
about her husband. Habla Begum rejected the offer of
money and jobs. Mushtaq Sadiq then asked her to
leave.
About six months after this, the family of the victim
went to the Divisional Commissioner, Khursheed
Ganai, in Srinagar. This was done in the form of a
protest. He called Deputy Commissioner Baramulla,
SSP Baramulla and other ofcials to his ofce, but
they did not admit to anything. He told Habla Begum
that she had approached him late and he could not
nd her husband. But, he processed her ex-gratia
relief and she received Rs. 1 lakh. Further, the
Divisional Commissioner also ordered that SRO 43
be provided [on 6 November 2007, it was sanctioned
by Deputy Commissioner Baramulla] but to date that
has not happened due to a problem with Habla
Begum's educational qualications. The school
stated that the records had been gutted in a re and
therefore there was no way to substantiate the claims
of her educational qualications. She now hopes her
son may receive the SRO 43. The ex-gratia relief was
processed around 1.5 years after the incident by the
authorities.
About four months after the incident, Jalla took the
family from their home in his gypsy car to the District
Police Lines, Baramulla and had their statements
recorded. Further, a few years later, police from the
Bandipora police station came to their house and told
them that four dead bodies had been recovered from
the forest department ofce. Mushtaq Sadiq had
apparently sent them. But, the family did not go to
identify the bodies as many years had passed.
Habla Begum states that the day her husband was
brought home by the SOG he had said that he
believes that Fateh Mohammad Gazi was behind his
abduction as Fateh owed the victim money. Also, on
the day of the abduction, Fateh Mohammad kept
going in and out of the house. He appeared to be
expecting the SOG. She also adds that some locals
had identied the registration number of the gypsy
car.
Fateh Mohammad Gazi is still alive as is Riyaz
Ahmad. But, Nazir Kandroo was shot dead later.
The wife of the victim, Habla Guroo, gave the above