Youth's body found in J&K's Kulgam, Mehbooba calls for investigation

Residents of a village in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir recovered the body of a youth on Sunday amid allegations that the deceased was picked by security forces for questioning in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said there were serious allegations of foul play in the death of Imtiyaz Ahmad Magray whose body was fished out from the Adbal stream in the Aharbal area of Kulgam district this morning.

Police have taken cognisance of the incident and started an investigation to ascertain the cause of death.

In a post on X, Mehbooba said, "Yet another body has been recovered from a river in Kulgam raising serious allegations of foul play. Local residents allege that Imtiyaz Magray was picked up by the army two days ago and now mysteriously his body has surfaced in the river." 

  The former chief minister said the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam appears to be a calculated attempt to derail the fragile peace, disrupt tourism in Kashmir and undermine communal harmony across the country.

"If a single act of violence can shake the entire system, triggering arbitrary arrests, home demolitions, and the targeting of innocent civilians then the perpetrators have already achieved their objective," she said.

Mehbooba called for an impartial investigation into the death.

"Allegations of misconduct whether in Bandipora encounter or in this latest incident in Kulgam are deeply troubling and warrant a thorough impartial investigation," she added.