Srinagar, Sept 08: Jammu and Kashmir police today said they have traced 26 out of the total 84 people who were reported to have disappeared in the state during the Congress-PDP coalition government's rule since October last. Twenty-six people who were in the list given by the association of parents of disappeared persons were found to be in their homes, a police spokesman said, releasing the details of investigations in 58 cases of alleged disappearances.
Besides, whereabouts of 14 others have been established, he said. Six have joined militants' ranks, two others have been taken away by ultras while five others who had joined the ranks have been killed in encounters. One is in central jail.
The investigation about other names figuring in the list is in progress and every effort is being made to establish their whereabouts, the spokesman said.

One Gulzar Ahmed figuring at serial no 33 in the list is lodged in Srinagar central jail. In another case, the police did not come across any person by the name of Mohammad Altaf Yatoo in Aripathan village in Beerwah. His name was figuring at serial no 14 in the list, he said. Five disappeared persons found to be killed were Mohammad Ishaq lone who was killed on the line of control at Rangwarta Gali while trying to exfiltrate, Bilal Ahmed who was killed along with Mohammad Sadiq Mir during an encounter in Beerwah area, Bashir Ahmed Shiekh killed at warpach in Ganderbal in an ambush and Ghulam Mohammad Wani, whose body was recovered from the paddy fields at Sagam on July 23, 2003. One Qasim who had gone to Punjab was arrested at Nowshera and reportedly died there.
Bureau Report