‘Hand Over Bodies of 3 Youth to Families’: Mufti Writes to L-G for Fair Probe in Lawaypora Encounter

PDP President Mehbooba Mufti writes to LG, asks bodies of the three youth killed in encounter at Lawaypora be handed over the families and fair probe be launched.

A day after families of the three men killed in a Srinagar encounter claimed they no connection with militancy and were killed in a staged encounter, PDP President Mehbooba Mufti urged jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor to launch a fair probe in the case. In a letter addressed to L-G Manoj Sinha, Mufti also asked that the bodies of the three youth be handed over to the families.

Army and J&K Police had on Wednesday described the three men killed in the encounter as ‘terrorists’ and ‘hardcore associates’, respectively.

The families, two of whom have members working with Jammu and Kashmir Police, described the claims of two forces as concocted and full of gaps. They alleged the three had no connection with militancy and were killed in a staged encounter. While two were students, aged 22 and 17, the third, a 24-year-old, was a construction worker.

Mufti had earlier demanded that the administration come clean on the allegations of the fake encounter in Parimpora area, while the National Conference had sought a time-bound inquiry into the circumstances leading to the killing of the three people.

“Worrying that in the past few months after the Shopian fake encounter other families too in J-K have alleged that their sons were innocent and killed in a staged encounter. Authorities need to come clean on this,” Mufti had tweeted about the Parimpora encounter.

National Conference additional spokesperson Sarah Shah said the versions of people and family pertaining to the killing of the three at an encounter site in Srinagar suburb are contradictory.

“Therefore, the situation necessitates the constitution of a fact-finding team that could reveal the circumstances… The police version is that the three were militants who refused to surrender during the gunfight and were killed, but the version of families of the slain is contradictory to that of the police version,” she said.

Shah said it is for the government to clear the ambiguity surrounding the deaths. “We have been hearing from government quarters that there would be zero tolerance for human rights violations but on ground such high-pitched claims emanating from government stand debunked in wake of such killings.

“Therefore we demand a thorough inquiry into the incident on behalf of my party. I also take this opportunity to express my unison with the bereaved families in their hour of grief and pain,” she said.

On Wednesday, the three men from south Kashmir were killed in an encounter with the Army on the outskirts of Srinagar at Lawaypora on the Srinagar-Baramulla highway. The police said one AK rifle, two pistols and other incriminating material were recovered from the slain.

Mohammad Maqbool Ganie, father of slain Aijaz Ganie – one of the three men killed in Wednesday’s encounter – who works with Jammu and Kashmir Police, told News 18 there was no evidence that suggest his son was involved with any militant activities.

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