The News Craving
Staff Report
A magisterial inquiry into the Hyderpora encounter has been completed.
As per the home department, the magisterial investigation says the “inquiry is complete. The judicial approval is now awaited before it can be made public.”
Earlier government had ordered magisterial inquiry by additional district magistrate into the encounter. “A magisterial inquiry by officer of ADM rank has been ordered in Hyderpora encounter,” Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had said in a tweet .“Govt will take suitable action as soon as report is submitted in a time-bound manner,” he had said.
Authorities had exhumed bodies of two residents—Mohammad Altaf Bhat and Dr Mudassir Gul—from a graveyard at Wadder Zachaldara Handwara where they were buried along with two other persons who were killed in the ‘encounter’ at Hyderpora. This followed protests by families that those killed were innocent civilians and not the militant supporters.
Meanwhile Police said that the local youth Amir Magray was a militant and had lied about the presence of foreign militant in the building. It said that the building owner was made a human shield by foreign militant who got killed in a cross-fire.
Addressing a press conference at police control room (PCR), DIG Central Kashmir Sujit Kumar Singh, while giving a detailed presentation about the investigations carried out into the Hydeprora encounter said that the CCTV footage and other evidences show that building owner Altaf was used as a human shield by the foreign militant Bilal Bhai, who was living in Dr Mudasir Gul’s chamber along with Amir Magray.
The DIG, who was heading the SIT into the Hyderpora encounter, said that CCTV footage shows that Dr Mudasir Gul was traveling with the foreign militant in his vehicle in Srinagar city. “The footage and other evidence show that Amir Magray had accompanied the foreign militant during Jamalata Srinagar attack. Amir would often travel to Bandipora and Gurez, an angle which is still under investigation,” DIG Sujit Kumar Singh said.
He said that prima-facie evidence shows that Dr Mudasir Gul was shot dead by the foreign militant. “The investigations reveal that building owner Altaf Bhat was made human shield by foreign militant and that he was killed in a crossfire,” said the DIG, who was flanked by Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbagh Singh and IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar.
He said that Amir Magray was a militant. “Two pistols and four magazines were recovered from the gunfight site,” the DIG said. He said that the family of the building owner hasn’t given them proper reply as to who was living on the rent, “what was their rent payment system, rent deed etc.” “There are no satisfactory details from Altaf’s family,” he said.
(With inputs from KNO)