Shopian case: Why accused cops walked free

The four senior police officers arrested in the Shopian case have been given a clean chit by the Central Bureau of Investigation after nothing adverse was found against them in the lie detector test, matching of DNA profiles and examination of their call records.

The Special Investigating Team of Jammu and Kashmir Police had filed an FIR against the officers alleging their involvement in destroying evidence in the case of death of two women -- Neelofar and Asiya.

The four police officials -- the then Superintendent of Police Javed Iqbal Mattoo, Deputy SP Rohit Basgotra, SHO Qazi Shafeez Ahmed and Sub Inspector Gazi Kareem -- were arrested on the directions of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court on July 15, this year for allegedly tampering with evidence in the alleged rape and murder of the women.

"...In the course of in-camera hearing, we have come to learn from the three members of the SIT that an FIR has been registered against those suspended police officers alleging there involvement in destroying the evidence of the crime," a High Court division bench headed by Justices Barin Ghosh and Mohammed Yaqoob Mir had ruled while ordering their arrest.

Rejecting the rape and murder theory, the CBI chargesheet gave a clean chit to the four saying none of the offences mentioned against them could be substantiated.

The agency, in its 66-page chargesheet, said that the four officers had been subjected to lie detector test, which recorded no deception.

"During the investigations by the CBI, the police officials have been thoroughly examined and efforts were made to cross-check and verify their versions from all angles," the CBI said.

"The polygraph examination of all the officials was also conducted to cross-check their involvement, if any, in the incident. They denied their involvement in the incident and as per lie detection examination conducted on November 12, 2009, no deception was found in the polygraph examination of all the four police officers," the CBI chargesheet said.

The DNA profiles generated from their blood samples, which had already been taken during the course of probe of the SIT were not found consistent with those generated from the male fraction DNA profiles obtained from the vaginal smear slides, the CBI said.

Besides, the call detail records of the mobile phones used by all the suspect police officers were checked and verified from all angles, "but nothing adverse was found."

"Hence the investigation has revealed that the four arrested police officers were not involved in any manner with this incident," the CBI chargesheet said.

The CBI had submitted its report to the state High Court on December 14, saying that the two women actually died due to drowning and indicting 14 people, including doctors and lawyers, for allegedly fabricating evidence.