The Jammu and Kashmir government on Tuesday removed Sopore superintendent of police Altaf Khan “in order to ensure fair and impartial investigation” into the custodial killing of a local youth, Nazim Rashid Shalla, alias Anjum. The 26-year-old trader was detained by the local police’s counter-insurgency special operations
group (SOG) on Saturday for questioning in connection with the recent murder of a local labourer by suspected militants, but was returned dead. Minister of state for home Nasir Aslam Wani chaired a high-level meeting of J&K home department officials to review the progress of the ongoing investigation into the alleged death due to torture in custody. The meeting, an official spokesperson said, was also attended by director-general of police Kuldeep Khoda and principal secretary, home, B.R. Sharma.
It was decided at the meet that DIG (North Kashmir Range) Muneer Ahmad Khan will be the overall in-charge of the ongoing investigation. The meeting also reviewed the progress of the magisterial inquiry being conducted by SDM, Sopore, Mohammed Ahsan Mir. “In order to ensure fair and impartial investigation into the incident, it was decided to transfer SP Sopore with immediate effect,” the spokesperson said.