Omar Abdullah On Thursday, a family from his constituency Ganderbal claimed that a man killed in an alleged encounter by the Army on March 31 had no links to terrorism, demanding a “transparent and time-bound investigation”, and filed a police complaint demanding an FIR and investigation.
Omar said the family’s claim should not be rejected. “At the very least, this encounter requires a transparent and timely (sic) investigation with the facts made public. Any attempt to obscure or delay the announcement of the investigation will only damage credibility and is not in anyone’s interest,” he wrote on X.
On Wednesday morning, the Army had said that a terrorist was killed during a joint operation with Jammu and Kashmir Police in Arahama area of Ganderbal last night. However, Ajaz Ahmed Mughal, brother of deceased Rashid Ahmed Mughal (28), claimed that he had no involvement in terrorist activities.
Ajaz said his brother left home on the morning of March 31 and did not return. At around 10 am on April 1, the SHO of Lar police station informed him that his brother had met with an accident, and brought him to the police control room in Srinagar, where he was asked to identify the body.
Ajaz claimed that the police told him that the body was that of a foreign terrorist. “I told them he is my brother,” he said, adding that the bullets had damaged his brother’s skull.
After identifying his brother, Ajaz said the police asked him to accompany them to Kupwara in north Kashmir, where he was buried in a graveyard. Since 2019, bodies of local militants killed in encounters are not handed over to families, and are buried in Kupwara and Uri to prevent mass gatherings.
Ajaz said everyone in Chauntwaliwar village and Ganderbal district knows his brother and can prove that he was not involved in terrorism, but he helped people get Aadhaar and domicile certificates. “He was preparing to join the army,” Ajaz said.
The police have not issued any statement on the operation. The Srinagar-based defense PRO declined to comment on the family’s allegations and said police would investigate the background of the slain man and details would emerge in a few days.
Srinagar-Ganderbal MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi described the allegations as serious, saying “the silence of Jammu and Kashmir Police is unacceptable”.
Former CM Mehbooba Mufti also alleged that it was a fake encounter. “He was an orphan and was running an NGO,” he said while talking to media persons.
