By Sheikh Qayoom

Srinagar, Jul 2 (IANS): The killing of an innocent 65-year old civilian accompanied by his toddler grandson in Sopore town Wednesday during a firing incident has shocked Kashmir with differing versions about what resulted in the brutal murder.

The police has said the civilian was killed by the militants who fired at the CRPF Naka party when the party was deboarding from the vehicle.

"The CRPF did not fire a shot in retaliation during the incident and we have identified the two militants responsible for the civilian's murder", Vijay Kumar, IGP (Kashmir) told media persons during a press conference on Wednesday.

The police version is strongly contested by the family. The daughter of the slain civilian has contested the police version by saying that while the family agrees that none of them was there when the incident happened, nor was the top policeman there when it happened.

The daughter has demanded an impartial probe into the murder so that whosoever committed the brutal murder of her father is brought to justice.

"If my father died by the militant fire there should have been a bullet mark on the vehicle he was travelling in. This shows that he was brought down from his vehicle and shot at point blank range in cold murder", the daughter said.

There are other loose ends in saying categorically as to who killed the civilian as stated by the police.

There were no civilian around when the incident took place and still pictures of the man lying dead on the ground with his grandson wailing on the dead body went viral on the social media within minutes of the shocking incident.

"Security forces are not allowed to use mobile phones during operations and if they have shot those pictures, we will ensure that they follow the protocol not to use mobiles during operations", the IGP told the reporters.

Former Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah said the picture of the toddler being carried by a security man has only exploited the tragedy of the child who lost his grandfather.

Omar said that the police rescued the child, which is part of their duty that everyone appreciates and yet the spirit of duty demands the same should not have been highlighted on the social media.

Political parties including the NC, PDP, Congress, JK Apni Party and others have demanded an immediate probe to expose the killers.

Authorities should have no issues with ordering such an impartial probe to help restore the trust and faith of the bereaved family in the fairness of our justice and administrative system.

After all, the security forces are here to protect the lives and properties of the civilians and if there has been a black sheep in the uniform to tarnish the fair image of our security forces, he must face the most stringent punishment.

Security forces in Kashmir are known to have acted against many such personnel who stepped out of their line of duty in the past.

In all fairness to the good image of our police and the paramilitary forces, it is logical to expect that the authorities will order a probe to mitigate the suffering of the bereaved family whose loss cannot be redeemed by anything we do.