Relatives and friends of two businessmen killed in Hyderpora on Monday night staged a candlelight vigil in subzero temperatures pleading government to return their bodies and demanded justice.
The people sat tightly together around candles, flashed placards that said ‘we want justice’ and shouted slogans demanding the return the bodies. However, till late Wednesday evening no one from administration came to speak to them.
Srinagar based businessmen Altaf Bhat and Dr Mudasir Gul were killed in a gun battle on Monday night along two others whom police described as militants. Police said Gul was terrorist supporter and Bhat a civilian and that both were killed in a crossfire.
Their families have been maintaining they were killed in cold blood. In fact, father of Aamir Magray – who police said was a militant – said he was working on a shop on a meagre salary for last six months. Police said the fourth was a Pakistani militant named Bilal Bhai or Haider.
On Wednesday morning, families of Bhat and Gul collected at Srinagar press enclave where offices of vernacular media is located and sat on a peaceful dharna.
Accompanied by small babies as young as 18 months and crying teenagers, the families demanded return of the dead bodies that police had buried in a far off Handwara area, 100 km from Srinagar. Vijay Kumar, Kashmir’s Inspector General of Police, on Tuesday had told reporters that they won’t give the bodies citing law and order disturbance.
“I can vouch Mudasir is innocent. He would share everything with me – how he spend the day and what business he did and what not. How can he be an OGW,” Humaira, wife of slain Mudasir shouted. She was carrying her 18-month-old baby and pleaded, “For her sake, please give her baba’s (father) body back. She wants to see him. She has been missing him,” she shouted.
Then there was Abdul Majid Bhat, brother of Altaf Bhat, who appealed to the J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to intervene and institute a probe. “Till the probe starts, return us the bodies for proper rituals, burial. My brother is innocent who did his business. By hardwork he could establish himself as a successful one,” he said.
Father of Aamir Magray, a 24-year-old youth from Banihal whom police described as a militant, had told News18 that he was killed in a fake encounter and he was innocent. He made a separate appeal to LG Sinha to turn his son’s body stating he was innocent and had come to Srinagar for livelihood. “I want to bury him next to our home so that his grave is next to our house,” said Lateef Magray, Aamir’s father who led a strong fight against militants in Ramban district and even hit and killed a militant with a rock. “My cousin was killed by militants in a revenge attack and my body had taken bullets in the fight to safeguard Hindustan (India). Today I am told my son is a militant which I am not going to take,” he said.
“Is this the reward that I am given. I came to Kashmir to get his body and instead am given his identity card,” he added. In 2005, the then Governor NN Vohra awarded him a trophy for his crusade against insurgency.
Meanwhile, Kashmir’s top politicians continued to rally support for the family. National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah spoke to Sinha urging him to return the bodies to the family, while PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti hit streets. However, later tonight her party spokesperson Najmu Saqib said she was put under house arrest so that she won’t be able to participate in the night vigil. There was no police version available if they had blocked her movement from the Gupkar residence.
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