Court reserves order on bail application of police driver

Srinagar, May 20: A local court in Srinagar reserved order on the bail application of a police driver who is accused of crushing a teenager to death by his armoured vehicle during demonstrations in downtown area on May 5.

Eighteen-year-old Adil Ahmad Yadoo was crushed to death at Noorbagh in the downtown, where clashes erupted after three militants were killed in an encounter with security forces at Chattabal.

Though police initially said the youth was killed in an accident at unknown place, later a case was registered against the police driver after a video had gone viral on social networking sites showing a bullet-proof vehicle running over the teenage boy. During investigation of the case, the vehicle was identified and the driver arrested. The accused has been booked under sections 304-A RPC (causing death by negligence).

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and Director General of Police S P Vaid also assured stern action against the accused police driver, who was arrested later. However, the accused driver had applied for bail in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Srinagar.

Opposing the bail of the driver, advocate Bashir Siddiq, who represented victim's family, on Saturday submitted before the CJM that the deliberate and intentional action of the accused which he knew was going to cause the death of victim falls within the definition of murder.

He further said that the viral video has shocked the entire society and rejection of bail of the accused is in the interest of public at large. Rejecting the bail will satisfy the collective consciousness of the society and as a deterrence to prevent such crimes, he further submitted.