Srinagar: Prominent Srinagar lawyer Babar Qadri, who was gunned down by suspected militants at his residence Thursday, was advised to leave his home for a few days by the Jammu and Kashmir Police due to threat to his life, but he refused, said IG Vijay Kumar.
According to the senior police officer, Qadri’s brother-in-law, who works as a DSP in the J&K Police, had advised the lawyer to leave his residence for a few days.
“Mr Qadri was advised to leave his residence for a few days but said he did not want to leave his home,” said the IG of Kashmir division.
Kumar said that Qadri in a recent tweet had asked the police force to take note of the dangers posed to his life, but tagged Jammu Police, instead of Kashmir Police.
“If he would have tagged Kashmir Police or my office on Twitter or simply approached us for security, we would have definitely taken action and made arrangements,” Kumar said during a press conference held in Srinagar Friday.
Qadri had tweeted on 21 September, urging the state police to take action.
I urge the state Police administration to register FIR against this Shah Nazir who has spread wrong campaign that I work for agencies. This un true statement can lead to threat to my life.@ZPHQJammu pic.twitter.com/utkurYpRzk
— Babar Qadri Truth (@BabarTruth) September 21, 2020
Kumar said that the threats Qadri was receiving had prompted the police to ask him to leave his home.
He also said Qadri’s residence is located in Srinagar’s Hawal area, which is extremely congested, and the location amplified security risks for the lawyer.
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SIT formed
According to the police, at around 6.20 pm Thursday, two men, with their faces covered in masks, entered Qadri’s residence posing as clients.
The assailants had claimed that they needed advice on an accident case. Once Qadri was face-to-face with them, the suspected militants fired multiple shots at Qadri, including one in the eye and another in his arm.
The assailants then fired in the air before disappearing into the street, police said.
IG Kumar said that a Special Investigative Team (SIT), headed by an SP, has been set up to probe the lawyer’s killing. The SIT will have legal experts and police officials as its members.
Police further said that CCTV footage from the street leading to Qadri’s residence has been recovered and is being examined to establish the identities of the killers as well as the militant group responsible for the assassination.
The IG also said the police will make all attempts to arrest the culprits and if arresting them was not possible, they will be eliminated in encounters.
Qadri, who was an activist too, became well-known for taking up cases of juveniles booked under various state laws. He was a regular on TV news debates, where he would appear as an expert on Kashmir’s affairs.
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