India, Oct. 13 -- More than two decades after the brutal killing of Sarpanch Sher Mohammad Rather in Changa, Gandoh, a Bhaderwah court has finally delivered justice by convicting Irfan Ali alias Babloo, a resident of Kilhotran, for the murder that symbolized the silencing of democracy during the peak of militancy in the Chenab Valley.
Delivering judgment in State vs. Irfan Ali (Case No. 08/Murder, FIR 57/2002, P/S Gandoh) on October 8, 2025, Principal Sessions Judge Bhaderwah Balbir L. Jaswal found Irfan Ali guilty under Sections 302/34 RPC and 7/27 Arms Act. The court ruled that the evidence presented by the prosecution, especially the testimonies of the slain Sarpanch's sons - Ashiq Hussain, Mohammad Ramzan, and Muzaffer Hussain - was "d...