The family of a Ganderbal youth refuted claims by security forces and alleged he was killed in a fake encounter
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has demanded a time-bound probe into the incident
PDP president, Mehboob Mufti , has rued that the family was not even handed over the body for the least rites
Ajaz Ahmad Mughal, the elder brother of the deceased youth, Rashid Ahmad Mughal, said that the authorities should initiate an inquiry and punish those who were responsible for his killing. “My brother was innocent and had applied for the job of a police constable. In fact, one of my brothers was killed by militants for working for the army,” said Aijaz.
According to the local residents of Choont Waliwar village of Ganderbal, the youth was helping issue domicile certificates and other documents to the people and had no role in militancy.
A local resident, Ashiq Ahmad, said the deceased worked to help out people get the documents from the Deputy Commissioner’s office while refuting claims of him being a militant. “He was very helpful to people and would get domicile certificates issued to people,” he said.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Army had said that they had killed a militant during a gunfight in the Arahama area of Ganderbal.
An Army spokesperson based in Srinagar said that they had launched an encounter operation based on specific information about the presence of militants in the area. “There was a specific intelligence input about the presence of militants, based on which we launched an operation. If there are allegations from the family, they would be looked into. We would co-operate with the investigations,” he said.
According to family, Rashid, who was around 28 years old, had completed his MCom degree a few years back and was looking for a government job. “ My brother had applied for many government jobs, including that in the police,” said Ajaz.
The family members said that the deceased youth left home at around 9:30 am on March 31 and didn’t return before they learnt about his death. In the evening on Tuesday, when the family members called on his number, it had been turned off.
“ I went as usual for work by around 5 am, and as I was returning home, I received a call from the police that my brother had met with an accident. After I went to the Police Control Room in Srinagar, I found my brother’s body in an ambulance. The clothes that he had put on before leaving home had been changed, and he wore new shoes, and though it had rained, they were clean. He had no association with any of the militant outfits,” he said.
Station House Officer, Lar, Irfan Ahmad, however, said that they have not received any complaint from the family as of now. “We have not received any complaint, and no FIR has been registered in the case.”
After the incident, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who is also an MLA from Ganderbal, sought a probe into the incident. In a post on X, Omar said, “I believe the claim of the family should not be dismissed out of hand. At the very least, this encounter needs a transparent and time bound probe with the facts made public. Any attempt to obfuscate or delay the announcement of a probe will only damage credibility, and that is not in anyone’s interest.”
Former Chief Minister and People's Democratic Party president, Mehbooba Mufti, said that there are allegations that the encounter in Ganderbal was a “fake one.”
“The Army first said he was a foreign militant, then they said he was a local linked to militancy. Even his body was not handed over to the family,” she told reporters.
Ajaz claimed he was not allowed even to take his brother’s body home for the last rites and had to bury it at Handwara, which is at a distance of over 60 to 70 kilometres from their native place. “I pleaded with the officials that our family members should at least be allowed to perform the last rites of my brother, but none paid any heed,” he alleged.