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The trial of seven policemen including one SSP and a DSP has begun in Principal District and Session Court in Srinagar on Thursday. The policemen, who were a part of special operation group (SOG), a force drawn from the ranks of Jammu and Kashmir Police to take on terrorists, are accused of killing a civilian Abdul Rahman Paddar of Larnoo Kokernag in a fake encounter at Ganderbal, last year after branding him a Pakistani terrorist.
 
The accused include former SSP of Ganderbal Hansraj Parihar, deputy superintendent Bahadur Ram, assistant sub-inspector Farooq Ahmad Gudoo, selection grade constable Farooq Ahmad Paddar and constables Manzoor Ahmad, Bansi Lal and Zaheer Abbas.
 
All the seven accused were on Thursday produced in the court of Muhammad Yaqoob Mir, the Srinagar principal district and session's judge. Two local lawyers, Mushtaq Ahmad Dar and Yasin Rouf appeared in the court on behalf of two accused, senior grade constable Farooq Ahmad Paddar and ASI Farooq Ahmad Gudoo, respectively. The court advised other accused to choose their defence lawyers. March 17 has been fixed next date of hearing for the case in the court. 
 
One of the accused, Bahadur Ram, has filed a petition before the state high court seeking transfer of the case to Jammu or elsewhere outside the valley on a plea that the situation here was highly hostile to him since he had been involved in anti-militancy duties since 2003. The high court has issued notices to the concerned authorities on the petition.
 
Abdul Rehman Paddar, a carpenter of Larnoo village, went missing from the Batmaloo locality of Srinagar on December 8, 2006. The investigations into the disappearance of Paddar by the police led to the shocking disclosure that he was killed in a fake encounter in the intervening night of December 8 and 9 by the SOG at Ganderbal after being framed as a Pakistani terrorist Abu Hafiz of Lashkr-e-Toiba.
 
The arrest and interrogation of the alleged key conspirator of Paddar's killing senior grade constable Farooq Ahmad Paddar led to the recovery of four more bodies of civilians-Molvi Shoukat of Banihal, Gh Nabbi Wani, Nazir Ahmad Deka and Ali Mohammad Paddar-killed in similar fashion by the SOG and army. Their bodies were exhumed from graveyards in Kangan, Ajas, Ganderbal and Sumbal and sent to their ancestral villages for burial.
 
Meanwhile police arrested one more constable of SOG Tariq Lone and a civilian Molvi Mohammad Ashraf allegedly involved in the killing of Molvi Shoukat of Banihal. Shoukat, who was performing as Imam (prayers leader) at Zadibal in capital Srinagar went missing on October 4, last year. His body was exhumed from a graveyard at Ajas on February 1. He was allegedly shot dead by the SOG and army in a fake encounter and passed him off as Pakistani terrorist Abu Zahid.