Court acquits 3 ultras

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 18: Principal Sessions Judge Ramban, M A Chowdhary has acquitted there alleged militants namely Manzoor Ahmad, Feroz Din and Raj Begum as prosecution miserably failed to bring home the charge against the accused persons
According to the police case, on July 26, 2007 Bashir Ahmed and others were proceeding towards their home from Gool to Dalwah when two militants in Army uniform namely Manzoor Ahmed and Nasarullah Gazi took them on gun point to the house of Mohd Ayoob.
Later, they were taken to a house where Raj Begum, wife of Manzoor and some other persons assaulted them seriously and took away their cell phones forcibly. When the militants left the house for taking meals, the complaints managed to escape.
Accordingly, a case was under Sections 364/342/382/323/34 RPC, 7/27 Arms Act and 4/5 Explosive Substances Act was registered against Manzoor Ahmad, Feroz Din code Nasarullah Gazi, son of Mohd Abdullah Malik of Salballah Gool and Raj Begum, wife of Manzoor Ahmad Naik of Dalwah Sangaldhan.
After hearing both the sides, Principal Sessions Judge Ramban M A Chowdhary observed, “prosecution has withheld the main and star witness of the case Mohd Ayoob and his father Gul Mohd besides the non-examination of doctor and IOs who had completed the investigation”.
“The witness had stated that the abductees had been kept at the hide out whereas two of the abductees have stated that they were kept in the village where they had been severely thrashed and tied with the rope before they escaped from the captivity. He has also stated that some of the articles recovered and sealed had been destroyed as per order of the Army officer”, the Court said.
“It is not understandable as to why these articles were destroyed when they were of immense value during trial. Head Constable Bharat Singh stated that he had investigated the case initially but the other two IOs who had investigated the case later had not been examined by the prosecution”, the Court observed.
“In this backdrop of the matter the prosecution cannot be said to have proved the case to connect the accused with the commission of offence under charge”, the Court said and acquitted the accused.