J&K govt orders magisterial inquiry into Hyderpora encounter

The lieutenant governor of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday ordered a magisterial inquiry into the controversial encounter at a building in Hyderpora in Srinagar in which four persons were killed. The dead included the building owner and a doctor.

On November 15, Jammu and Kashmir Police said four persons were killed in Hyderpora locality. The dead were identified as Haider, a foreign militant from Pakistan; his associate, Amir Ahmed; the owner of the building, Altaf Ahmed Bhat, and Mudasir Gul, a doctor, who had rented space for an office in the building.

However, the families of Amir, Bhat and Gul contested the police claim that they were militants and said they were civilians and had no connection to militancy.

In a press conference, IG Vijay Kumar admitted Bhat was a civilian who was killed in the crossfire. He, however, called Gul an OGW (over-ground worker) of militants.

Soon after the news of the killing of Bhat and Gul spread, their families staged protests and demanded their bodies for burial. The police, however, refused to hand over the bodies of the dead, which were buried at Handwara in Kupwara.

The relatives of Bhat and Gul staged a protest at Press Enclave till late night on Wednesday to press for return of the bodies of their kin for last rites. The police, however, forcibly evicted the protesters and took them into preventive custody.

The arrested persons were later released.

There has been a massive outcry over the Hyderpora encounter across Kashmir, with mainstream leaders, including former chief ministers, demanding handing over of bodies of Bhat and Gul back to their families for burial besides demanding an impartial probe.

Meanwhile, Amir's father, in a video message, said his son was innocent and demanded the return of his body for burial.

He said he had been appreciated and felicitated for fighting and killing a militant with a stone, which forced him to change his address repeatedly. He said he had gone to Srinagar to get the body of his son, but was denied by police.