Srinagar, April 3 Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the chief cleric of Kashmir, expressed hope on Friday that justice would be served in the Ganderbal encounter case and those responsible would be held accountable and punished.
"Following the distressing news reports of the killing of a young man, Rashid Ahmed Mughal, in Arhama, Ganderbal, in what was claimed to be an encounter, his family stated that he was a part-time computer operator with no links to militancy who was picked up and killed in cold blood, this has revived painful memories of such encounters," Mirwaiz said.
He was addressing the Friday congregation at the Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta locality here.
He said that now that Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has ordered an inquiry, he hopes that "justice will finally be done".
"His (Mughal's) family seeks justice through an impartial investigation. We can only hope that justice is served, as past experiences do not inspire confidence. But, let us hope that, as news came that L-G sahib himself has ordered an inquiry, this time justice will be done and those responsible will be held accountable and punished," he said.
Mirwaiz added that not giving Mughal's body to the family for burial "is inhumane and condemnable".
Sinha on Friday ordered a magisterial probe into the encounter in Ganderbal district in which one alleged terrorist was killed by security forces.
Several mainstream leaders, including Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, had raised questions about the encounter that took place on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday.
Mirwaiz said "targeting of Kashmiris" by multiple agencies creates an atmosphere of fear and intimidation.
"Almost daily, there are reports in newspapers of cases, chargesheets and arrests of Kashmiris by the multiple agencies operating here, SIA, CIK, Cyber Cell, ACB, NIA, on one ground or another. This creates an atmosphere of fear and intimidation and reinforces the narrative that portrays an entire people as dangerous and suspect to be kept under check," he said.
"This coercive policy cannot build viable peace or lead to progress if that is what the authorities seek, as they claim," he added.