Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha on Friday ordered a magisterial inquiry into the alleged fake encounter in Ganderbal, promising justice.
The army has run into a controversy after a family in Ganderbal alleged that a
member, Raashid Ahmad Mughal, 28, a commerce postgraduate, had been killed in a staged gunfight.
Although the army said it had killed an unidentified militant during an operation in Arhama village of Ganderbal, the family said Raashid had no links with militancy. Top politicians, including chief minister Omar Abdullah, have called for a probe.
Following the outcry, LG Sinha on Friday said he had ordered “a thorough and impartial magisterial inquiry into the Arhama, Ganderbal incident”.
“The inquiry will examine all aspects related to the incident and ensure that justice is served,” he said on X.
The LG shared an order from the home department asking the deputy commissioner of Ganderbal to probe the incident.
“The issue has been examined and accordingly, you are requested to get a thorough and impartial magisterial inquiry conducted into the matter to ascertain the facts and circumstances leading to the death of Raashid Ahmad Mughal S/O late Gull Zaman Mughal. The inquiry may be completed with seven (07) days and the report be submitted to the home department,” the order reads.
The issue has triggered outrage in the Valley. Hurriyat chief and Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq told a large crowd at Jamia Masjid in Srinagar that the incident had revived “painful memories of such encounters” in the past.
“His family is saying that he was a part-time computer operator with no links to militancy who was picked up and killed in cold blood.
“We can only hope that justice is done, as past experiences do not inspire confidence. But let us hope that, as news has come that LG sahib himself has ordered an inquiry, this time justice is delivered and those responsible are held to account and punished. That his body was also not given to the family for burial is inhuman and condemnable,” the Mirwaiz said.
He said there were near-daily reports in “newspapers of cases, chargesheets and arrests of Kashmiris by the multiple agencies operating here — the SIA, CIK, cyber cell, ACB, the NIA, on one ground or another”.
“This creates an atmosphere of fear and intimidation and reinforces the narrative that portrays an entire people as dangerous and suspect who need to be kept under check. This coercive policy cannot build viable peace or lead to progress if that is what the authorities seek, as they claim,” he said.
The last time the army faced outrage on a similar issue was in 2023, when three Muslim tribal Gujjar men were allegedly tortured to death.