Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Police have claimed to have killed "two militants" along with their Overground Worker (OGW) during a gunfight at Hyderpora area of Srinagar city on Monday. Police have also admitted that a civilian was also killed during the exchange of fire. However, the families of Mohammad Altaf Bhat and Mudasir Gul, who the police have branded as militants said they were not, and demanded justice.
Earlir in the day, the police said that Altaf Bhat, a resident from Barzulla, Dr Mudasir Gul, a resident of Rawal pora, Haider, a foreign militant, and his aide, a resident of Banihal, were killed during the gunfight. Inspector-General of Police (Kashmir) Vijay Kumar while addressing the media claimed that Gul was a militant associate and used to provide shelter and logistics to the militants. He had rented a room from Altaf to house the militants. The gunfight had caused a foreign militant and his local associate to be gunned down by the security forces. Meanwhile, the relatives of both persons termed the claims of the police as baseless.
An atmosphere of mourning is looming at Bhat's residence, his two daughters and one young son still can't believe that their father is no more. Bhat's brother, Abdul Majeed Bhat, said "My brother had nothing to do with the military, he was a businessman. He was used as a human shield during the gunfight." Bhat's family members have urged Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha for justice while demanding the body of Altaf must be handed over to the family for the last rites.
Also Read: Jammu & Kashmir: Four, including a civilian, killed during gunfight in Srinagar
On the other hand, Gul's relatives claim that he (Gul) was a property dealer and often came home late because of work. "He left home yesterday morning and we found out at night that he had been killed. He had nothing to do with military activity, " they said. Like Bhat's relatives, Gul's family members have demanded the body and justice from the administration. Gul has two children - a ten-year-old daughter and a five-year-old son. Meanwhile, the politicians from the Valley have also demanded an impartial probe into the fallout of the gunfight.
"Using innocent civilians as human shields, getting them killed in cross-firing and then conveniently labelling them as OGWs is part of GOIs rulebook now," Mehbooba Mufti, former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir and president of the People's Democratic Party, said in a tweet. "Imperative that a credible judicial enquiry is done to bring out the truth and put an end to this rampant culture of impunity," she added
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Using innocent civilians as human shields, getting them killed in cross firing & then conveniently labelling them as OGWs is part of GOIs rulebook now. Imperative that a credible judicial enquiry is done to bring out the truth & put an end to this rampant culture of impunity. https://t.co/QOJonQ0kyS
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) November 16, 2021 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
">Using innocent civilians as human shields, getting them killed in cross firing & then conveniently labelling them as OGWs is part of GOIs rulebook now. Imperative that a credible judicial enquiry is done to bring out the truth & put an end to this rampant culture of impunity. https://t.co/QOJonQ0kyS
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) November 16, 2021Using innocent civilians as human shields, getting them killed in cross firing & then conveniently labelling them as OGWs is part of GOIs rulebook now. Imperative that a credible judicial enquiry is done to bring out the truth & put an end to this rampant culture of impunity. https://t.co/QOJonQ0kyS
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) November 16, 2021
President of the People's Conference, Sajad Lone too demanded an investigation into the gunfight. "In the midst of conflicting claims in the Hyderpora encounter, the least we deserve is a transparent description of what happened by a neutral institution," Lone tweeted. He further said, "This is neither the first time nor the last time. Manoj Sinha, you have the opportunity to assert that human lives matter." Meanwhile, the police had set up a special investigation team to look into all aspects of the gunfight.
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In the midst of conflicting claims in the Hyderpora encounter the least we deserve is a transparent description of what happened by a neutral institution. This is neither the first time nor the last time. @manojsinha_ U have the opportunity to assert that human lives matter.
— Sajad Lone (@sajadlone) November 16, 2021 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
">In the midst of conflicting claims in the Hyderpora encounter the least we deserve is a transparent description of what happened by a neutral institution. This is neither the first time nor the last time. @manojsinha_ U have the opportunity to assert that human lives matter.
— Sajad Lone (@sajadlone) November 16, 2021In the midst of conflicting claims in the Hyderpora encounter the least we deserve is a transparent description of what happened by a neutral institution. This is neither the first time nor the last time. @manojsinha_ U have the opportunity to assert that human lives matter.
— Sajad Lone (@sajadlone) November 16, 2021
Former J&K chief minister and National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah tweeted "...far too many questions being raised about the encounter and about the people killed." "An impartial and credible inquiry in to the recent encounter in Hyderpora is an absolute necessity. There are far too many questions being raised about the encounter and about the people killed," he tweeted. "There have been numerous instances of fake encounters in the past and the questions raised about this Hyderpora encounter need to be answered swiftly and in a credible manner," he added.
