Tag: Hyderpora

After Outrage, J&K Admin Returns Bodies of Businessmen Killed in Hyderpora Shootout

“Altaf tere khoon se, inqilaab aayega (Altaf, your murder will spawn a revolution),” the mourners shouted as the procession moved towards the graveyard.

Srinagar: The mortal remains of the two Srinagar-based businessmen, who were killed in a controversial shootout on Monday, were exhumed on Thursday and handed to their families.

After a day of peaceful protests which saw a rare coming together of different political parties, lawyers, activists and ordinary Kashmiris, the two bodies were exhumed from a graveyard in north Kashmir and brought to Srinagar.

The graveyard in Wadder Zachaldara of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, where the two men were initially buried, is the final resting place of dozens of suspected militants who have been gunned down by security forces in Kashmir over the past two years.

Altaf Ahmad Bhat and Dr Mudasir Gul, both residents of Srinagar, were gunned down inside a shopping complex on Monday evening along with a suspected Pakistani militant, Haider alias Bilal Bhai, and his alleged local associate, Aamir Lateef Wagay, a resident of Ramban district.

The shootout had turned into an embarrassment for the J&K administration after discrepancies emerged in the details shared by the police with the media and the account of happenings inside the shopping complex narrated by witnesses and family members of the slain businessmen.

Altaf’s grave being dug. Photo: Faizan Mir

Although the families were assured by the administration on Thursday afternoon that the mortal remains of Altaf and Dr Mudasir will be returned, they were kept in a state of suspense till the last moment.

Family sources said they got confirmation about the exhumation at around 7 pm on Thursday, “We were told not to speak about it to the media. We were also told to restrict the gathering at the funeral,” a relative of Altaf’s, who didn’t want to be named, said.

Police sources said the relatives of the two businessmen were called to the Police Control Room on Thursday evening while cops in civvies were deployed around their residences to keep an eye on the law and order situation.

“We had to hide ourselves inside their kitchen so that police wouldn’t know about our presence there. It was only when the body was brought to their home that we came out,” said a Kashmiri photojournalist, who didn’t want to be named.

At around 12:35 am on Friday, Altaf’s body was brought to his home in Srinagar’s Barzulla locality, triggering emotional scenes. Aggrieved family members, including his wife and two minor daughters, rushed out of the house to get a last glimpse of the slain man before he was taken for the last rites.

“La Ila Ha Illallah, Allah-u-Akbar (There is no God but Allah. Allah is great),” one of Altaf’s daughters screamed, breaking down into tears as his father was brought into the house compound for the family members to get the last glimpse.

Also read: Court Orders Investigation in 25-Year-Old ‘Custodial Death’ Case in Kashmir

Amid tight security presence, the body was carried by hundreds of mourners to their ancestral graveyard in Barzulla locality. The mourners, around 800-1,200 of them, shouted pro-freedom and pro-Islam slogans.

“Altaf tere khoon se, inqilaab aayega (Altaf, your murder will spawn a revolution),” the mourners shouted as the procession moved towards the graveyard. The body of Dr Mudasir was buried in a graveyard in the adjoining Sanat Nagar locality.

The family members of both Altaf and Dr Mudasir have consistently maintained that they were innocent and the security forces, who carried out the anti-militancy operation on Monday, used them as human shields, a violation of Geneva Conventions to which India is a signatory.

The two families had staged a peaceful sit-in at Srinagar’s Press Enclave on Wednesday to demand the mortal remains of their loved ones. However, the electricity supply to the area was allegedly cut before a police party swooped down on the site of protest and forcibly removed the protesters, evoking outrage.

“Open fire, terrorists,” Abdul Majid Bhat, brother of Altaf, told a policeman, pulling his automatic rifle towards his chest before he was bundled into a police vehicle and whisked away to the police station. He and other detainees were however later set free.

Altaf’s last rites being performed. Photo: Faizan Mir

The manhandling of the aggrieved families evoked a rare show of solidarity from people cutting across political and religious divides, who staged peaceful protests across Kashmir. While Omar Abdullah led a sit-in protest in a public park near his Gupkar residence, Mehbooba Mufti was put under house arrest.

Photos of peaceful protests being organised by lawyers, activists and prominent citizens from different parts of Kashmir, with people holding placards with messages of solidarity for the families of Altaf and Dr Mudasir, circulated widely on social media.

After massive public uproar, the J&K administration has also ordered a magisterial inquiry into the shootout. According to an official order, the inquiry will be carried out by the additional district magistrate of Srinagar and he has been asked to complete the probe and submit his report within 15 days.

But the families fear that the magisterial probe is unlikely to remove the cloak of mystery surrounding the circumstances under which the four persons were killed in the shootout on Monday.

Also read: With New Anti-Terror Agency in J&K, Is Centre Accepting its Failures After August 2019?

The State Human Rights Commission, which was made defunct following the reading down of Article 370, has reported more than 500 magisterial inquiries in J&K from 1990 to 2018, of which only one inquiry was completed. However, the probe team never submitted its report.

The Coalition of Civil Society, a Srinagar-based rights advocacy group, has documented 108 cases of human rights abuses in J&K in which probes were ordered by the J&K government from 2008 to 2019. But there have been zero prosecutions in these cases.

J&K LG Orders Magisterial Probe Into Hyderpora ‘Encounter’

The magisterial probe was ordered amidst protests by the family members of three of the four persons killed on Monday.

New Delhi: The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Thursday ordered a magisterial probe into the Hyderpora encounter in Srinagar.

“A magisterial inquiry by officer of ADM rank has been ordered in Hyderpora encounter. Govt will take suitable action as soon as report is submitted in a time-bound manner. JK admin reiterates commitment of protecting lives of innocent civilians & it will ensure there is no injustice,” Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said in a tweet.

The magisterial probe was ordered amidst protests by the family members of three of the four persons killed on Monday. The family members of Mohammad Altaf Bhat (the building owner), Mudasir Gul (a tenant) and Amir Magray (Gul’s office boy) have been protesting against the killings, which they have described as cold-blooded murder of innocent civilians. The police claim those killed were “terror associates”.

They have demanded that the bodies of the deceased be handed over to them for the last rites.

All the four persons killed in the encounter were buried in the Handwara area of Kupwara district.

As The Wire has reported, he killing of businessman Altaf Ahmad Bhat, father of three minor children, in a controversial shootout that left four people dead in Srinagar, has sparked allegations that he was used as a human shield by security forces.

“We will look into the demands of the families. We are open to correction if anything has gone wrong. A police probe will also find out what went wrong,” Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh told NDTV. “We will find out what happened in the Hyderpora encounter. We are for the safety of people and will not shy away from a probe.”

Political parties in the Valley have also been seeking an impartial probe into the incident.

Hyderpora Encounter: J&K Police Forcibly Remove Families of Civilians From Protest Site

The protesting families were on a sit-in since Wednesday morning and held a candlelight vigil after the daylong protest.

Srinagar: The family members of two civilians killed in an encounter in Srinagar’s Hyderpora, who were staging a sit-in at the Press Enclave, were forcibly removed by police around midnight and a few of them were detained, officials said on Thursday.

The protesting families were on a sit-in since Wednesday morning and held a candlelight vigil after the daylong protest.

They stayed put at the Press Enclave amidst a biting cold, demanding that the bodies of their kin be returned to them.

However, police forcibly removed the protestors from the site at around midnight, the officials said.

They said the power supply to the area was snapped before the arrival of the police personnel.

Several protesters were detained by the police, the officials added.

Mainstream politicians from Jammu and Kashmir have condemned the police action, video clips of which have gone viral on the social media.

Also Read: As Civilian Victims’ Families Contest Official Version, J&K Police SIT to Probe Encounter

“Instead of handing over mortal remains of the innocent civilians, police has arrested the family members for demanding the bodies of their loved ones. Unbelievably ruthless & insensitive. Least they can do is return the mortal remains immediately,” Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti wrote on Twitter.

People’s Conference chief Sajad Lone said the administration is intent on presenting its “inhuman and ugly face”.

“What on earth Has happened to the administration. Y can’t they present a human face. Y r they so intent on presenting a v inhuman and ugly face (sic),” he said in a tweet.

“General Dyer must be very proud of you @JmuKmrPolice,” National Conference (NC) leader Ruhullah Mehdi wrote on Twitter.

(PTI)

Srinagar Encounter: Eyewitnesses Say Civilians Were Used as ‘Human Shields’; Probe Demanded

Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said it was the “responsibility of security forces to keep civilians from harm during an armed operation, not to place them in harm’s way.”

Srinagar: Human Rights Watch (HRW), the international rights advocacy group headquartered in the US, has sought a “credible and independent” probe into the allegations that a civilian was used as a human shield during a shootout in Srinagar’s Hyderpora locality.

Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director of HRW, said it was the “responsibility of security forces to keep civilians from harm during an armed operation, not to place them in harm’s way.”

“The authorities should immediately order a transparent, credible and independent investigation into this incident,” Meenakshi told The Wire.

The killing of businessman Altaf Ahmad Bhat, father of three minor children, in a controversial shootout that left four people dead in Srinagar, has sparked allegations that he was used as a human shield by security forces.

In a conflict situation, the Geneva Conventions, to which India is a signatory, forbid the use of human shields who can be either civilians or prisoners of war. A human shield is used by any side involved in a conflict in a potentially life-threatening situation to achieve their own military objectives.

According to Doctors Without Borders (MSF), a French non-profit which works in conflict zones, including Kashmir, the use of civilians “to shield military objectives or operations” is a violation of international humanitarian laws.

“Such acts are clearly established as war crimes under international humanitarian law. Many categories of persons are specifically protected by humanitarian law, such as civilians, the wounded and sick, prisoners of war, and medical personnel,” the MSF notes.

Also Read: As Civilian Victims’ Families Contest Official Version, J&K Police SIT to Probe Encounter

Eyewitnesses accounts

Eyewitnesses and family members who spoke with The Wire said a search team of security forces led by the J&K police asked Altaf, owner of the shopping complex in Srinagar’s Hyderpora locality where the shootout took place, to accompany them when they started the anti-militancy operation.

A statement issued by the J&K police also admitted that Altaf was taken along by the security forces. It said the anti-militancy operation was launched along with the Army’s 2 Rashtriya Rifles and the CRPF following “specific police inputs” about the “presence of terrorists” in the shopping complex.

“If security forces knew there were militants inside the building, why did they ask my brother to accompany them? They deliberately put him in harm’s way. He was used as a human shield,” Altaf’s brother, Abdul Majid Bhat, told The Wire, dismissing rumours that his brother was linked to militancy.

Majid’s claim has been corroborated by several eyewitnesses who saw the happenings at the shopping complex when the search unit started the operation on Monday at around 5:30 pm.

Two eyewitnesses who spoke with The Wire on the condition of anonymity, disclosed that when the search unit arrived, counterinsurgency forces in the civvies were already deployed in the area, “They asked the traders to down their shutters while other forces laid a cordon around the complex,” said an eyewitness.

Security forces then assembled the traders and their workers in a two-wheeler showroom housed in the shopping complex and seized their mobile phones. As the cordon was tightened, the search unit attempted their first entry into the complex.

A member of the security forces during an encounter with militants at Hyderpora, in Srinagar, November 15, 2021. Photo: PTI /S. Irfan

“Altaf was closing his shop when they (jawans) asked him to accompany them while they searched the shopping complex. He obliged without any resistance,” said the eyewitness, who didn’t want to be named for the fear of reprisal by security forces.

After some time, the eyewitnesses said, Altaf and Dr Mudasir Gul, the second civilian killed in the shootout, walked out of the complex along with the security forces. “Altaf and Mudasir were asked to remain on standby outside the showroom. Some 30 minutes later, they were again taken into the complex after which there was firing. There is CCTV footage which can prove this,” another eyewitness said.

Inspector general of police (Kashmir) Vijay Kumar told reporters that Altaf and Mudasir, accompanied by security forces, knocked on the door of the room on the top floor of the shopping complex where the suspected militants were believed to be hiding, a potential violation of the Standard Operating Procedure. The Wire tried reaching the IG for his comment but he didn’t respond. This story will be updated if and when he responds.

A J&K police spokesperson said the suspected militants “started firing indiscriminately towards the party which was retaliated. However, in the initial exchange of fire, both the individuals (Altaf and Mudasir) accompanying the search party received critical gunshot injuries and succumbed to their injuries.”

‘Illegal’ says lawyer

Habeeb Iqbal, a human rights lawyer based in south Kashmir, said the statement of the J&K police suggests that Altaf was asked to accompany them when the “possibility of a gunfight was high”, which is “illegal.”

“Civilians can’t be used as human shields. This is irrespective of the fact whether the civilians are used voluntarily or involuntarily. These prohibitions are contained in the various instruments of international humanitarian law as well in the general laws,” Habeel said.

The J&K police claimed to have killed a suspected Pakistani militant and his alleged local associate, Aamir Lateef Margay, during the shootout. However, eyewitnesses claimed to have seen Aamir, a resident of Ramban’s Gool area who was working as a helper at the office of Dr Mudasir, leaving the complex when the search operation started.

“He was frisked by cops who asked him to hand over his phone. However, he told them that he was not carrying a phone and left the building,” said the second eyewitness.

Former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah said on Wednesday that the police’s admission that the two businessmen were used to “knock on doors” of the militant hideout suggests that there were not militants. “They are civilians who died because they were put in harms (sic) way,” he wrote on Twitter.

“To vilify them as militants or OGWs is bad enough but to take the bodies away & forcibly bury them in North Kashmir is a crime against humanity. The bodies must be returned to the families so they can be buried. It’s the only just thing & it’s the only humanitarian thing to do,” Omar said.

The families of Altaf and Dr Mudasir staged a protest in Srinagar’s Press Enclave on Wednesday evening, demanding that the police must return their mortal remains so that they could perform the last rites. Despite freezing cold conditions, the families, which included the wife and one-year-old daughter of Dr Mudasir, were planning to continue the protest through the night.

“We don’t want justice. We only want the body of my brother. We want to get a glimpse of his face and give him a decent burial close to his home so that we can visit his grave and pray for him,” Majid, Altaf’s brother said.

As Civilian Victims’ Families Contest Official Version, J&K Police SIT to Probe Encounter

Two civilians died in the controversial Hyderpora encounter. Police’s claim that one died in crossfire and another was involved with militants has met with outrage.

Srinagar: A controversial shootout that left two civilians dead has prompted outrage across Kashmir where the regional parties as well as the Hurriyat are demanding a judicial probe into the incident that took place in the capital of Srinagar on Monday, November 15.

The J&K Police have now set up a Special Investigations Team (SIT) to probe the shootout in which a doctor working as a land broker and a businessman were gunned down along with two suspected militants in Srinagar’s outskirts on Monday night.

Inspector General of Police (Kashmir), Vijay Kumar told a press conference that the SIT will be headed by a Deputy Inspector General of Police and it will probe the events that led to the encounter.

Srinagar has lately recorded a dramatic spike in militant violence.

A senior police officer said the shootout took place in Srinagar’s Hyderpora locality on Monday, at around 6:30 pm, when a joint team of police, Army and paramilitary forces laid siege around a shopping complex following inputs on the presence of militants there.

In the ensuing firing, two suspected militants were killed. During a press conference on Tuesday, IG Vijay Kumar said one of the militants has been identified as Haider, a Pakistani national, while another reportedly hails from Jammu’s Banihal area.

Two civilians – Mohammad Altaf Bhat, the owner of the shopping complex, where the shootout took place, and Dr Mudasir Gul, a trained dental surgeon whose land brokerage office was housed in the complex – were also killed in the firing.

IG Kumar told reporters that Altaf was killed in “cross-fire” while Dr Mudasir was working as an associate of militants, a charge denied by his family who staged a protest at Srinagar’s Press Enclave on Tuesday morning and accused the security forces of killing him in “cold blood”.

Also read: Another J&K Civilian Killing: Militants May Have Mistaken Victim for Kashmiri Pandit, Says Family

“He was a doctor. He was not a terrorist. He returned home yesterday with chips and biscuits for his daughter. What crime had he committed? Why was he murdered like this?” said Yusra Bilal, a relative of Dr Mudasir, who is survived by parents, wife and 10-year-old daughter.

Dr Gul’s mother pleads for his body at the Press Enclave. Photo: Faizan Mir

IG Kumar, however, claimed that Dr Mudasir had provided his rented space to the foreign militant, Haider, who was using it as a “hi-tech hideout.” The IG also claimed to have recovered some arms, mobile phones and several computers from the hideout.

“He (Mudasir) was harbouring militants and helped them in moving from South and North Kashmir areas (to Srinagar). He also helped Haider escape from the site of a recent attack in Srinagar in which a policeman was injured,” the IGP said.

Speaking with reporters at their residence in Srinagar, Altaf’s minor daughter said their family learnt about the tragic news at around 10 pm when their uncle, Abdul Majid Bhat, received a phone call.

“When we reached the shopping complex and I asked the policemen there how they got to know that my father was a militant, they started laughing unashamedly at me,” Altaf’s daughter said. The Wire is withholding her name as she is a minor.

“My brother is in Class 2. He was very attached to our father. What will we tell him? My mother is unable to stand on her feet. What was my father’s crime?” she said, accusing the police of using Altaf as a “human shield” during the search operation.

Majid, Altaf’s brother, told The Wire that his brother was asked to accompany security forces when they searched the shopping complex on Monday evening. “They came out as they didn’t find anyone inside the complex. After some time, the security men asked him to accompany them again. That is when the firing started,” he said.

Abdul Majid Bhat, the elder brother of Mohammad Altaf Bhat who was killed in Srinagar encounter. Photo: Faizan Mir

“We want justice. If the police can prove that he had connections with militants, I am ready to face the gallows as well. But he was innocent. He has young kids. Who will take care of them?” asked Majid.

Altaf is survived by wife and three children, including two daughters. His family said he had been in the real estate business for the last 30 years. They believe that Dr Mudasir may have been killed because he was an eyewitness to what transpired inside the shopping complex when the firing broke out.

Also read: ‘As if a War Is About to Break Out’: Increased Security Force Presence Creates Tensions in Srinagar

“My cousin was an eyewitness. Not a single shot was fired in retaliation (by militants). The doctor perhaps saw the murder of my father, so he too was martyred to cover up the crime,” Altaf’s daughter said.

Dr Mudasir had pursued BDS at a college in Bengaluru, according to his family. He has two kids.

The controversial shootout took place barely 24 hours after a J&K Police team was attacked by suspected militants in downtown Srinagar’s Nawa Kadal locality, injuring a constable whose condition is believed to be stable.

Families of Altaf and Dr Mudasir are demanding the authorities return their mortal remains so that they can perform their last rites. The shootout has sparked outrage across Kashmir.

The wife (centre) of Mudasir Gul, a dentist who was killed in the Srinagar encounter. Photo: Faizan Mir.

Both the Hurriyat as well as regional parties such as Peoples Democratic Party, CPI(M) and Peoples Conference have demanded an “independent probe” into the circumstances that led to the killing of two civilians.

Slamming the authorities, moderate Hurriyat chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said the encounter underscores the “silence of international community and civil society in India in the face of acute violation of human rights by the state, has made the life of people living in Kashmir hell.”

“What makes this tragedy of impunity provided to the forces in J&K all the more heart wrenching, is that the family has since yesterday been pleading and protesting on the roads that at least the dead body of their loved one be returned to them for burial, which the authorities have ceased (sic),” he said in a statement.

CPI(M) general secretary M.Y. Tarigami said that the families of the civilians have been claiming that they are innocent and they have no connections with unlawful organisations. “Under the garb of upholding law, it seems the administration is abusing the law. A judicial inquiry must be ordered so that these families get answers to what happened to their loved ones,” he said.

“Using innocent civilians as human shields, getting them killed in cross firing and then conveniently labelling them as OGWs is part of GOIs rulebook now. Imperative that a credible judicial enquiry is done to bring out the truth & put an end to this rampant culture of impunity,” PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said in a tweet.

National Conference’s Omar Abdullah tweeted, “An impartial & credible inquiry into the recent encounter in #Hyderpora is an absolute necessity. There are far too many questions being raised about the encounter & about the people killed. There have been numerous instances of fake encounters in the past and the questions raised about this #hyderporaencounter need to be answered swiftly & in a credible manner.”

Peoples Conference president Sajad Lone tweeted: “In the midst of conflicting claims in the Hyderpora encounter the least we deserve is a transparent description of what happened by a neutral institution. This is neither the first time nor the last time. Manoj Sinha- you have the opportunity to assert that human lives matter.”