*Team in Surankote to record statements
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 17: The Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) has written to Northern Command Headquarters in Udhampur and Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khandey to submit entire record and identity of the officials, who were at the helm of affairs in Surankote and Poonch when 19 members of majority community were killed by the militants at village Sailan in Surankote area of Poonch district on the intervening night of August 3 and 4, 1998.
The CBI had recently taken over investigations of the case more than 25 years after the killings on the directions of court.
Nineteen civilians from majority community belonging to three families were killed in their houses on the night of August 3 and 4 in 1998 and the killings were initially attributed to the militants. However, later some local people of the areas had expressed doubts over the killings and demanded inquiry.
Security forces, police and other agencies held the view that the killings had been executed by the militants by blaming some members of the families as informers of security forces.
CBI’s Investigating Officer in Sailan massacre, Ashok Kalra along with his team has been camping in Sailan for past few days to investigate the case.
Reliable sources told the Excelsior that the CBI has written to the Northern Command Headquarters seeking entire record including name of the Army Unit, their officers and jawans, who were posted in Surankote and Poonch at the time of civilian killings. The Army has also been urged to provide other relevant material before it pertaining to the killings.
A similar letter has been written by the CBI to Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khandey seeking from him the details about police officials posted at Surankote and Poonch, who were posted in Surankote and had reached the spot after killings of the civilians. The CBI team has already spoken to present police officers in Poonch and Surankote and got details available with them about the incident.
The CBI team was in the process of recording the statements of relatives, family members and neighbours of the victims to ascertain their version of the killings.
Sources said the CBI would have to wait the response of Northern Command Headquarters and the Chief Secretary before calling the then officers of Army, police and civil administration to depose as witnesses before the investigating agency.
“Some of the Army officers posted in Surankote might have retired by now. Some others would have been posted in different States. It’s a time consuming exercise to call all of them to record their statements. Similar is the case with police officers, then posted in Surankote,” sources said but added that the CBI would go into roots of the case and establish reasons behind the killings.
Very few militants were now left in Surankote, which used to be the hub of militancy in 1998 when the killings had taken place.
It may be mentioned here that 19 civilians were massacred by the militants in their houses on the intervening night of August 3 and 4, 1998. They belonged to three families. However, some local people continued to raise doubts over the killings and approached the Court, which has ordered a CBI inquiry.
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