Man killed for intruding into Farooq Abdullah’s Jammu home, family demands probe

The family members of a man who was killed while trying to intrude into former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah’s Bhatindi house on Saturday morning have demanded a probe into the incident.

The intruder – Murad Ali Shah of Galuta in Poonch district – had allegedly entered into a scuffle with CRPF personnel after crashing through the gates of Abdullah’s residence around 9.30 am.

“Murad was here with me at our house last night. He left for the gym at Parade Ground around 5 am, as is his daily routine. I do not know how he reached Farooq Abdullah’s house, or why he was killed by security personnel. Was he carrying a weapon?” questioned his father, Imzaz Hussain Shah.

Imzaz insisted that his son, who was preparing for his graduation as a private student, would have come armed if he was doing it at the behest of militant groups. He expressed ignorance when told that the authorities believed he could have committed the act under the influence of narcotics. “I am not aware if he was using drugs. These days, no parent can be sure if their child has fallen victim to drug abuse,” he said.

Imzaz runs a gun shop at Ban Talab in the temple city.

Murad’s cousin, Sartaj Din Shah, dismissed all suggestions about Murad being a drug user. “Why would he take drugs? He was a pursuing his graduation. Security personnel could have easily arrested him. Why did they have to kill him? Did they find any explosives in his car?” he asked.

The Abdullahs were not home at the time of the incident.

However, police said Murad was killed only after he entered into a scuffle with CRPF personnel. “After crashing his Mahindra XUV into the gate of Farooq Abdullah’s residence, the intruder tried to snatch a CRPF guard’s weapon. The man was scuffling with security personnel in the lobby area when he was taken down,” said inspector general of police (Jammu zone) SDS Jamwal.

Security personnel also found prescriptions for psychotropic drugs in Murad’s vehicle, indicating that he was either mentally ill or addicted to narcotics.

The intruder did not have a weapon on him, said Jamwal, adding that security personnel are searching the grounds to check for other potential intruders.

The police officer refused to speculate on a terror angle to the incident, stating that only a thorough investigation can help them ascertain all the facts. Poonch police have been asked to go into the details shared by their Jammu counterparts on Murad.

First Published: Aug 04, 2018 16:52 IST