Probe exonerates Omar in party activist's death

Srinagar, April 30 (IANS) National Conference activist Haji Yusuf died a natural death, a magisterial probe has said while exonerating Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his close aides in the case. The contents of the report were made public Monday.

In his final report submitted to the state government, the additional district magistrate has concluded that Haji died Sep 30 last year due to "cardiovascular arrest without any external physical assault or injury".

Haji had died in mysterious circumstances after he was summoned to the chief minister's residence, triggering a political furore. The government had ordered a magisterial probe into Haji's death to be conducted by the additional district magistrate Srinagar, Muhammad Akbar Ganaie.

"As I am required to determine the cause of death of the deceased after examining 57 witnesses and making physical examination of the hospital, crime branch as well as the chief ministers camp office in Srinagar, I have come to the conclusion that Haji died due to cardiovascular arrest without any external, physical assault, force, injury or mischief upon his body or due to the negligence of any authority," the report said.

"As such the cause of his death on Sep 30, 2011 at about 9.45 a.m. in police hospital Srinagar is a natural death due to heart attack and not an act of any other person from the chief minister's camp office or crime branch headquarters or police hospital," the report said.

On Friday, the Justice (retired) H.S. Bedi Commission probing the death of Haji Yusuf disallowed the plea to summon Abdullah for cross examination.