Immoral Shopian girl caused Malla’s custodial death

Abid Gani Wani

Shopian December 03: In a startling revelation, Rafiqa, wife of Ghulam Hassan Malla who was killed by Army last month after arresting him, disclosed that her husband was killed in a reprisal as her husband had raised objection at one of the trooper of 62 RR after finding him teasing a village girl working in her orchard.

 “I was with my husband when the trooper belonging to Rastriya Rifle camp came and threatened my husband to kill him, and on the very next day the troopers clamped crackdown in the village and arrested him,” Rafiqa said.

Ghulam Hassan Malla of Maniyal was killed by the 62 RR during interrogation on November 25. The custodial killing of Malla by Army had evoked massive protests in the area and the residents of Maniyal Shopian had also attacked the camp of Army’s 62 Rashtriya Rifles at Imam Sahib in the evening.

Talking to this newspaper, Rafiqa said that her deceased husband went to an orchard around 8:30 am in the morning for pruning the apple trees.

 “After few hours when I went to orchard to provide tea to my husband, I found him quarrelling with a trooper and few meters away an unknown girl in an objectionable position was hiding herself,” she said.

When asked about the incident, Rafiqa said that a girl in the compromising position with the trooper had irked her husband and he began to censure her for the act.

 “In no time the trooper started quarrelling with my husband and before leaving the place with the girl, trooper threatened to kill him”, she said.

According to Rafiqa, troopers of Maniyal camp sieged the area on November 25 and after searching few household caught hold of Mohammad Hassan Malla and took him to the camp.

 “The troopers promised to release him soon but only his dead body was sent back,” she said amid tears.

She said that the villagers were waiting till 9.30 pm outside the camp requesting for the release of Malla. “Troopers took inside my 8 year daughter to meet her father and promised her of releasing him soon,” she said.

She said that troopers called upon the headman of the village on the next day and told him that Ghulam Hassan died in the intervening night of 25 - 26 November due to gas leakage.

She said that troopers even told him that they would provide job to her wife and free education to his children if they would remain silent over the issue.

Ghulam Hassan was the only male member in family after his father’s death when he was just 6 years of age.

 “As soon as the rumors of the death of Malla spread, people took to streets and started protesting against the army,” she said.

It is pertinent to mention here that the case has been registered against the army under FIR no 93-08 in the police station Zainapora.

Maqbool Ahmad, Station House Officer of Zainapora police station, when asked about the revelations made by the wife of deceased, he said that he is himself investigating the case and so far he is has not come to know about the involvement of any girl in the case.

 “The investigation will be carried out against the custodial death of the Malla and those found guilty, legal action will be taken against him,” said Maqbool.