‘Hero’ of Shopian agitation, Shakeel Ahangar booked for ‘attempted murder'

Wife Shobi Jan complains he sprinkled kerosene oil on her body to burn her to death

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
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SRINAGAR, May 7: Shakeel Ahmad Ahangar of Bongam Shopian, who in 2009 alleged that his wife Neelofar Jan and unmarried sister Asiya Jan, had been “gangraped and murdered” by Police and security forces, is likely to be arrested in a serious matter of domestic violence and attempt to murder on Friday. On his second wife Shobi Jan’s written complaint, Police have booked Ahangar in case FIR No: 67/2015 under sections 498-A, 323, 354, 342, 307 of Rabir Penal Code.

According to Shobi Jan’s complaint dated May 5, 2015, filed with Police Station Shopian, Shakeel Ahangar alongwith Manzoor Ahmad Ahangar and Auqib Ahangar sons of Abdul Gani Ahangar and Roomi Jan daughter of Abdul Gani Ahangar did beat her up mercilessly while demanding dowry. They allegedly tried to burn her to death after sprinkling kerosene oil on her body during the night of May 4, 2015.

After a preliminary verification, Police filed FIR No: 67 with charge of attemted murder against Ahangar and the other accused persons. After the spot inspection, Police prepared a site plan and got the complainant’s statement recorded before a judicial magistrate under section 161 and 164 of Criminal Procedure Code. Shobi Jan narrated how Ahangar tried to kill her by sprinkling kerosene oil on her body. Her clothes were seized, sealed and resealed before the Executive Magistrate Ist Class Shopian for FSL examination.

Shakeel Ahangar shot into prominence in May 2009 when his wife Neelofar and sister Asiya were found dead in mysterious circumstances in Rambiara Nallah and he complained that the duo had been kidnapped and subjected to gangrape by Police and security forces before the two young women were “murdered”.

Ahangar’s allegations triggered off a massive street turmoil which left half a dozen civilians dead and hundreds injured across Kashmir. While the Valley observed bandh on calls of Majlis-e-Mashawarat Shopian and separatist leaders for several days, Shopian district headquarters remained shut down for business for about a month. After some investigation by Police and an inquiry by retired judge of J&K High Court, Muzaffar Ahmad Jan, the investigation was assigned to Central Bureau of Investigation.

Even as Ahangar, residents of Shopian, separatist leaders as well as some mainstream politicians maintained that Police and security forces had committed rape and murder of the two women, CBI established in three-month-long investigation that they had been neither raped nor murdered. CBI concluded that Neelofar and Asiya had died by drowning in Rambiara while returning from their orchard in the evening. After exhumation of the bodies, it was established that the unmarried woman’s hymen was intact and she or her sister-in-law had not been subjected to any physical violence.

CBI filed a lengthy charge-sheet against 13 persons, including 11 Shopian-based lawyers and doctors for hatching up a conspiracy and trying to frame innocent Police officials in a false criminal case for ulterior motives. The case is under hearing with a CBI designated court in Srinagar.

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