Srinagar, Feb 19: A local court in Srinagar has acquitted four men—Hilal Ahmad Dar, Afaq Ahmad Baba, Mehraj-ud-Din Bhat, and Gowhar Rashid Mir—accused in a 2008 curfew-related violence case in Rainawari, citing the prosecution’s failure to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

In her 12-page judgment, 1st Additional Sessions Judge Anjum Ara noted that the testimonies of three prosecution witnesses were general, contradictory, and failed to attribute any specific act to the accused. The court highlighted the absence of independent civilian witnesses, non-conduct of test identification parades, unexamined investigating officers, and discrepancies in in-court identification.
The incident on August 12, 2008, involved a mob of around 500 people allegedly pelting stones at a CRPF bunker, resulting in two civilian injuries, one of whom later died. Despite citing nine witnesses, the prosecution examined only three police personnel, and key investigative testimony was missing.
The court observed that mere presence in a crowd is insufficient for criminal liability without evidence of a specific overt act. Concluding that the prosecution’s evidence was “weak, fragile and contradictory,” the judge acquitted the accused and ordered immediate release of their bail and personal bonds.