Chief minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday warned the security establishment against making Kashmiris feel like they were being subjected to “collective punishment” as he flagged the death of a 24-year-old man in Kulgam and multiple arrests following the Pahalgam terror attack.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has also urged lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha to “end the policy of arrests and punitive measures and ensure release of innocents”, while claiming that 3,000 people had been arrested in the crackdown that followed the April 22 carnage.

Kashmir erupted in outrage after Imtiyaz Ahmad Magrey’s body was recovered from a stream on Sunday following his arrest by the security forces last week. While Magrey’s family and politicians have alleged foul play, the police have claimed he committed suicide after jumping into the stream while leading them to a militant hideout.

Security forces are also facing accusations of killing the brothers of two militants in Bandipora and Kupwara districts and blowing up dozens of houses as part of an anti-terror drive.

“Kulgam should not have happened. There are also reports of arrests in different places. It should not happen with the people of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly Kashmir, who for the first time came out and expressed outrage over any (militant) attack,” Omar told reporters.

“People should not feel they are being subjected to collective punishment in order to apprehend the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack,” he added.