J&K Police constitutes SIT to probe killing of Advocate Babar Qadri
Srinagar, Sep 25: Jammu and Kashmir Police on Friday said that it has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the killing of advocate Babar Qadri, who was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in the summer capital, Srinagar, on Thursday.
“It is a top priority case for us… we have constituted an SIT, which will probe the killing of the advocate. The accused will be soon identified and brought to the book. We will try to arrest the culprits, if not, we will neutralize them soon,” Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, told reporters during a press conference here on Friday.
Giving details about the incident, Mr Kumar said two masked men posing as clients with files in their hands came to Qadri's house Thursday evening (at Hawal in Srinagar). “The culprits called the lawyer claiming that they want some suggestion for an accident case. When the lawyer came down, they fired at him indiscriminately with a pistol. The advocate received four bullets in his head and succumbed to his injuries on the way to a hospital,” he added.
The IGP said that when militants fired few rounds in the air when they fled the spot. “We are assessing footage of CCTV camera installed outside the residence of the advocate to ascertain the identity of the militants responsible for the attack,” he added.
Mr Kumar said that today he visited the area and also met the family of the deceased advocate. “SP Hazratbal will head the SIT, which will investigate the case. The SIT has been directed to crack the case as soon as possible and identity the militants and outfit responsible for the attack,” he added.
Meanwhile, former J&K chief minister and National Conference (NC) Vice President Omar Abdullah condemned the killing of Advocate Babar Qadri, saying that the sense of tragedy is all the more because he warned of the threat. The killing was condemned by other political parties and social organizations.