Opposition leader Mehbooba Mufti of PDP joined the CM in demanding a time-bound investigation into the killing of Rashid Ahmad Mughal, 29, whose family filed a complaint with the police stating that he had no links with militants.
The Army had said that on Tuesday night an operation was launched in Arahama in Ganderbal district during which a cordon was tactically reorganised on the “1st of April in which one terrorist was eliminated”. Mughal’s family members said they were shocked when they were asked to identify his body. They said he was working as a computer operator and running an NGO after finishing his master’s in commerce. He had left home on Tuesday and never returned.
After identification, the body was not handed over to the family but shifted to a graveyard in Handwara more than 80 km away and buried in presence of some relatives. In 2020, following Covid, cops stopped handing over bodies of alleged militants to their families and buried them far off from their native places.
“We have filed a complaint with the police and we are sure we will get justice. He had no militant links,” said a family member, adding Mughal’s brother, Ajaz Ahmad, is now striving to get justice for his sibling.
CM Abdullah said: “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.”
Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar Aga Ruhullah of NC also sought a time-bound probe.Police officials in Ganderbal said a formal complaint has been received and it is being examined. “One of his brothers is across the border and we are questioning some people including a family member about this,” said a senior police official.
A Srinagar-based defence spokesperson said: “As of now, this is just an allegation. This was a genuine operation and the Army did its job. Police will have all the reports and details about it. Let the police probe into this,” the spokesperson told ET.
