J&K LG orders probe into Hyderpora killings
SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Thursday ordered a magisterial probe into the killing of two civilians during a gunbattle in Hyderpora, Srinagar on Monday as outrage mounted after police forcibly removed their families around midnight as they staged a sit-in seeking the return of the bodies of their slain kin.
The bodies of Altaf Ahmad Bhat and Mudasir Gul were buried over 70 km away in Handwara without the presence of their families after police claimed they were killed in crossfire during a gun battle. Police branded the two as “overground workers” for harbouring terrorists even as their families have contested it and said they were killed in cold blood and were used as a human shield.
In a statement, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s office said an additional district magistrate will probe into the Hyderpora killings while promising suitable action as soon as a report is submitted. It added the administration is committed to protecting the lives of civilians and will ensure there is no injustice. Four people were killed in the gunbattle at a shopping complex in Hyderpora. Police claimed that two of the slain were terrorists while Bhat and Gul were killed in “cross-firing”. Bhat was the owner of the complex while Gul, a doctor and businessman, had rented rooms there.Former chief minister Farooq Abdullah-led National Conference (NC) leaders joined the sit-in of the families. Another former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti was prevented from going to the protest site.
Mufti, who held a protest in Jammu on Wednesday, said she was put under house arrest again on Thursday while two leaders of her party were arrested. “The pattern of using innocent civilians as human shields & then denying their families the right to a decent burial shows that GOI (government of India) has plumbed new depths of inhumanity,” Mufti tweeted. “Their narrative right from the start was based on lies to escape accountability. They don’t want to be held accountable for their actions & that is why they are muzzling voices that speak up against such injustice & atrocities.”
Another former chief minister Omar Abdullah tweeted: “This is the naya (new) Kashmir of 2021. This is how the J&K police fulfils @PMOIndia promise to remove dil ki doori & Dilli se doori. It’s outrageous that the J&K administration did not allow the families to conduct a peaceful sit in protest.” He added he has rarely seen families wronged conduct themselves with such dignity. “They have been reasonable in their demands & dignified in their conduct. The result of this is visible for all to see as the police drags them away in the dead of night,” he said. Omar Abdullah asked Sinha to reach out to the families and return them the bodies. “It’s the only right thing to do, it’s the only humane thing to do.”
Separatist Hurriyat Conference has called for a strike on Friday against the killings and for the return of the bodies. The conglomerate, in a statement, said the tragedy that has struck the families of the civilians is tormenting and its pain has stunned the people.The videos of the police removing the protesters went viral on social media and provoked fresh outrage. In a tweet, Mufti said instead of handing over the remains of the innocent civilians, police “arrested” the family members for demanding the bodies of their loved ones. “Unbelievably ruthless & insensitive. Least they can do is return the mortal remains immediately,” said Mufti. She posted a video showing masked policemen forcibly dragging relatives of the two civilians into bulletproof vehicles. Former minister Sajad Lone called the police action inhuman.“What on earth Has happened to the administration. Y can’t they present a human face. Y r they so intent on presenting a v inhuman and ugly face,” Lone tweeted. He also posted a video of the police action.
Farooq Abdullah spoke to Sinha on Wednesday and sought the return of the bodies. “[Abdullah] reiterated his demand for an impartial probe into the civilian killings,” said NC spokesman Imran Nabi Dar.Omar Abdullah blamed the police for putting the two civilians in harm’s way and demanded the return of their bodies.
“The police admit they took the building owner (Bhat) & the tenant (Gul) into the building (gunbattle scene) & used them to knock on doors. How then can these people be termed as militants? They are civilians who died because they were put in harm’s way, “he said in a tweet. He called taking the bodies away from their families a crime against humanity.