Omar Abdullah demands probe into Ganderbal encounter, after family claims ‘slain had no militant links’

J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday demanded a probe into the Ganderbal encounter, where the Army claimed to have killed a local terrorist in an overnight operation on April 31-March 1. 

“I believe the claim of the family should not be dismissed out of hand. At the very least this encounter needs a transparent and time bound probe with the facts made public. Any attempt to obfuscate or delay the announcement of a probe will only damage credibility & that is not in anyone’s interest,” said Mr. Abdullah.

The Chief Minister made the statement after the family of the slain, identified as Arsheed Mugal Bakerwal, son of Gul-Zaman Bakerwal, a resident of Chuntwaliwar, Ganderbal, claimed “there were no militant links of the slain youth”. The deceased is a 28-year-old post-graduate and lived with his family in the area, the family claimed. Meanwhile, the family reportedly lodged a complaint with the police. However, the police have neither denied nor confirmed receiving any complaint from the family.   

The body was disallowed to be buried at the family’s graveyard and instead was buried at graveyard Wadder Payeen, Zachaldara, in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, at a spot earmarked by the security agencies to bury the militants killed in the encounters in the Valley.

On March 31, a cordon and search operation was conducted at the forest area of Arhama by the Army’s 02 Assam Rifles, 24 Rashtriya Rifles, CRPF’s 49 Battalion and the J&K Police Ganderbal. Officials had claimed to have recovered one AK 56 rifle, three magazines and 67 live rounds and 58 empty rounds at the encounter site”.

Ruling National Conference leader and Member of Parliament Aga Syed Ruhullah also quoted as saying that the deceased “was an innocent civilian with zero links to militancy”.

“His own clothes were changed. The Army refuses to reveal his identity. These are gravely serious allegations. Silence from J&K Police is unacceptable. We demand a time-bound, independent probe,” said Mr. Ruhullah.

Former J&K Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti expressed worry over the incident. “The Army first claimed to have killed a foreign militant then said he was a local. There are allegations of a fake encounter. The youth turned out to be an orphan, who ran a non-governmental organisation. Later, he was buried far away in Baramulla. There should be a thorough probe into it,” said Ms. Mufti.