Farooq Abdullah demands judicial probe into Samba

Former Chief Minister and National Conference patron Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday demanded a judicial probe into the Samba gunbattle in which nine people including civilians were killed on May 11.
    
"The Prime Minister should hold an enquiry into the Samba gunbattle and infiltration. A sitting Supreme Court or high court judge should look into it," Abdullah told media persons after a visit to Kailay Mandi, the spot where the gunbattle took place.

Abdullah said he had sent a communication to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the National Security Advisor M K Narayanan in this regard suggesting that the judicial probe should also look into the circumstances leading to the Samba incident.
    
Abdullah, who also participated in the 10th day ceremony of Hoshiar Singh and his wife Shashi Bala, a civilian couple allegedly killed by the terrorists before the encounter started on May 11, was told by the residents of Samba that Singh - "a messiah of peace" and his wife had been killed as part of a well-planned conspiracy hatched by forces inimical to peace.
    
Several delegations called on the opposition leader during his visit to Samba and complained that the police did not investigate the killing of the civilian couple in a "professional" manner.