Protests held over Hyderpora encounter; Farooq Abdullah speaks to LG

Protests were held at several places in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday over the Hyderpora encounter, demanding an inquiry into the killing of the three persons accused of having terror links and the handing over of their bodies.

While voices calling for an independent probe grew louder, former chief minister Farooq Abdullah said he has been assured by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha that he would look into the issue "seriously".

The kin of the three persons killed along with a Pakistani militant in the gunfight on Monday were among those who joined the protests held in Jammu, Srinagar, Banihal and Ramban district, where authorities imposed prohibitory orders banning any assembly of people.

The families of Altaf Bhat and Mudasir Gul have refuted the police charge that they were terror associates. The father of Mohammad Amir, who the police alleged was a militant, has also claimed that his son was innocent.

National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, who is the Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar constituency, said he had a telephonic conversation with Lt Governor Sinha and had apprised him of the situation, including "wavering" statements made by the police.

"I informed the LG about the contradictory statements made by police. On Monday, they are civilians trapped in crossfire and Tuesday they are harbourers of terror. If they had so much of the so-called inputs about the deceased on Tuesday, they could have shared on Monday. This is a cooked-up story and needs to be probed," Abdullah said.

The former chief minister said that the LG assured him to look into this "seriously".

"I hope that those guilty for this barbaric crime will be punished," he said.

The families of Bhat and Gul held a protest in Srinagar, demanding justice for the victims and the return of their bodies.

The police had said that the bodies of all the four killed in the Hyderpora encounter were buried in the early hours on Tuesday in Handwara area of north Kashmir's Kupwara district.

Bhat's brother Abdul Majeed, who works as a revenue official, told reporters he has been continuously in touch with the police and they would have informed him if his brother was involved in militancy.

"He (Bhat) was doing business in Hyderpora for the last 30 years. He rented the building and we had furnished their (tenants) verification in police station Saddar. The police should have contacted us if there was anything (adverse)," he said.

Majeed said his brother was "a builder, a taxpayer and an innocent man".

"You can verify in the whole locality. The police knew him, they used to visit his place every day, have tea with him. They can verify his credentials," he added.

Majeed said that on Monday, the 'Task Force' (JK police's counter-insurgency unit known as the special operations Group) came and took his brother thrice for searches in the building.

"They took him upstairs and brought him down three times. They used drones. (It was) As if they were shooting a movie there....

"We appeal the LG, request him, that verify and if there is anything (adverse) against my brother, then they can hang me in public in the city centre.

"He (Bhat) was innocent, a civilian and not a militant. We want answers, we want justice," Majeed said.

In Jammu region's Ramban district, authorities imposed prohibitory orders banning the gathering of five or more people in some villages in the wake of the death of Mohammad Amir, who was a resident of the district, in the encounter.

Amir's father Latief Magray refuted the police's claim that his son was a militant and appealed to the Lt Governor to provide "justice to his family" and also return the body of his son for a proper burial.

Magray, who had reportedly killed a militant in his village over 15 years ago and had to migrate because of threats from various terror groups, said he would continue his struggle for "justice" for his slain son.

"If they have any proof of his involvement in militancy, show it to me! I know he was innocent," Magray said.

Meanwhile, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti led a protest in Jammu and demanded that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) be revoked.

Holding a placard that read "Stop killing us, probe Hyderpora killings, end impunity and handover bodies to families", Mehbooba Mufti, along with party activists and leaders, staged the protest outside the party's Gandhi Nagar headquarters.

A large posse of police stopped the protesters from moving towards the main road.

Asked about the police claim of there being digital evidence against those killed, she said: "If they had prior evidence, why did the police not arrest them, as they have been doing on a daily basis."

Mehbooba, on her return to Srinagar later in the day, was prevented by police from joining the protesting families of the civilians, her party claimed.