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Bandh in Shopian as activist in rape case found dead

September 09, 2009 19:30 IST

Tension gripped Shopian on Wednesday after a member of a group, who was spearheading the agitation against the rape and murder of two women in May, was found dead. The town observed a complete shutdown on Wednesday.

The body of Mohammad Hussain Zargar (42), an activist of Majlis-e-Mushawarat who was missing since Saturday, was found in an orchard last evening in Shopian, 52 km from Srinagar.

Government offices and educational institutions remained closed and business activities came to a standstill in the town after MM gave a bandh call demanding a probe into Zargar's death.

The outfit demanded a post mortem by a team of doctors from Srinagar. The police said they were investigating the case and had no objection to the post mortem being done by doctors from Srinagar.

Locals said Zargar, who was very active during the Shopian agitation to press for action against culprits involved in rape and murder of Asiya and Neelofar, left his home on September 5 at around 11 am and since then had been untraceable.

His family has lodged a missing report with the police.

People staged demonstrations on Tuesday in the town demanding that Zargar be traced, but dispersed after an assurance from the police.

After the body was recovered at around 5.30 pm, people again took to streets.

The MM refused a post mortem by local doctors citing the alleged fudging of evidence in Asiya and Neelofar case.

"We demand that the post mortem be conducted by a team of doctors of Srinagar," MM spokesman Mohammad Shafi Khan said.
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