Srinagar (J&K): Srinagar (J&K): The Jammu and Kashmir police on Tuesday claimed that the building owner Muhammad Altaf Bhat was used as a human shield by the foreign militant and was killed in crossfire during the Hyderpora gunfight. The building where the controversial gun battle took place was used as a hideout by the foreign militant who was killed there on November 15.
According to the police, the foreign militant – identified as Saqlain alias Bilal Bhai – worked closely with Amir Magray, one of the killed youth in the gunfight. The Hyderpora gunfight was one of the most controversial operations by security forces this year. The gunfight drew massive outrage in which the role of security forces was questioned by all quarters.
On November 15, the gunfight ended with the killing of four people, including Muhammad Altaf Bhat, the building owner, Dr Mudasir Gul, who had rented space in the building and Amir Magray, Mudasir’s office boy. The families of the three slain claimed that they were used as “human shields” and killed in cold blood despite no links with militants. The Hyderpora incident was widely condemned by political parties in the region and international rights bodies.
Following the backlash, the Inspector General of Police (Kashmir range) formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the killings. The SIT, in a presser here at Srinagar on Tuesday, refuted the claims that Bhat and Dr Gul were used as a “human shield” by the police and armed forces but accused the foreign militant of killing Dr Gul.
Also read: Hyderpora gunfight: Families deny police claims, demand bodies of loved ones
“Our investigation revealed that Altaf was made a human shield by the foreign militant and he was killed in a crossfire,” DIG Sujit Kumar Singh, who heads the SIT, said while addressing a press conference in Srinagar.
Hyderpora gunfight was conducted jointly by the 2 RR of the Indian Army, Special Operations Group (SOG) of the J&K Police and the QRT of CRPF.
Singh said both Dr Gul and Bhat claimed they were sure that no one was present inside the premises.
"They did not ask for any help from the security forces and also didn't ask for any bulletproof cover or security cover. They were sure that no one was inside the building so they went inside,” he said.
The families of all the three killed during the gunfight had demanded the return of their bodies, which the police had buried in North Kashmir. After a few days, the bodies of Dr Gul and Bhat were returned to their families after exhumation except Magray, whose family also maintains that he is innocent.
The police, however, shared a detailed presentation, laying out a sequence of events, which includes CCTV footage, Call Detail Record (CDR) indicating that Magray had developed links to militancy and aided Bilal Bhai in an attack at Jamalatta area on November 14, a day before Hyderpora gunfight.
