Srinagar, April 2 The killing of a 29-year-old man in an alleged encounter with the Army in Ganderbal has raised concerns in several quarters, including from Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who has called for a transparent and time-bound investigation.
A day after the Army claimed to have killed a local terrorist during an overnight operation in Arahama village on the outskirts of Srinagar, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti also backed the chief minister's skepticism about the official narrative.
The family of the killed man, Rashid Ahmed Mughal, claimed he was innocent and demanded an FIR as well as an inquiry. His brother told journalists that Rashid was a computer operator and had nothing to do with militancy, something the entire village would testify to.
"I believe the family's claim should not be dismissed out of hand. At the very least, this encounter needs a transparent and time-bound investigation with the facts made public," Abdullah said on X.
"Any attempt to obfuscate or delay the announcement of an investigation will only damage credibility, and that is not in anyone's interest," he added.
His party colleague and Lok Sabha member Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi joined him in calling for a time-bound and independent investigation.
"The family of Rashid Ahmad Mughal, who was killed in the Ganderbal encounter, says he was an innocent civilian with no links to militancy. His own clothes were changed. The Army refuses to reveal his identity," the Srinagar MP said on X.
He said the allegations leveled by the family were "very serious," and the police's silence is "unacceptable."
Former chief minister Mehbooba echoed him, alleging that there were inconsistencies in the Army's official narrative.
"The Army first said he was a foreign militant, then they said he was a local linked to militancy," she said. She quoted reports saying Mughal was actually an orphan who ran an NGO.
Mehbooba also criticized the administration for the burial process. "Even his body was not handed over to the family...He was buried in Baramulla. This is what is happening with our youth," the PDP leader said.
According to reports, Rashid's family said he ran an establishment to help local villagers in filling out forms for bank loans and various government schemes.
The allegations surfaced on a day when the lieutenant governor's administration carried out a major police reshuffle, transferring 82 officials, including the Ganderbal Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Khalil Ahmad Poswal.
Poswal, who retires on April 30, has been moved to the 12th India Reserve Battalion as commandant. Sudhanshu Dhama, a 2016-batch IPS officer, is the new SSP of Ganderbal.