Srinagar, Dec 28: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the J&K Police constituted to probe the circumstances of Hyderpora ‘encounter’ on Tuesday submitted its report, in which it claimed that the building owner Altaf Bhat was killed in the “cross fire” while another civilian Dr Mudasir Gul was shot dead by the foreign militant.
The police had claimed that four persons, including a foreign militant, were killed in a joint operation by the police, Army’s 2 Rashtriya Rifles and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). Other than the civilian Altaf Bhat, the police described Dr. Mudasir Gul, a dentist, and Muhammad Amir Magrey as militant associate and hybrid militant respectively – a claim rejected by the families of the trio.
Police had set up a Special Investigation Team headed by DIG Central Kashmir Range, Sujit Kumar to look into the facts surrounding the controversial encounter that took place on the night of November 15 in Hyderpora area of Srinagar.
DIG CKR, while addressing a presser in Srinagar along with Director General Police, Dilbag Singh and IGP Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, claimed that Dr Mudassir Gul was “shot by the foreign terrorist at the attic of the building” while Bhat and Aamir were “killed in crossfire while being used as a human shield by the foreign terrorist”.
The DIG further stated that Bhat, Dr Mudassir and Aamir had initially “feigned ignorance” when asked about the presence of militant in the building. “Aamir initially said he had had no phone, but later on said his phone was inside the building,” the DIG said.
The DIG CKR further said that slain Altaf’s family “hasn’t been able to establish in reply to our repeated questionnaires as to who had been living in the building on rent”.
As per the DIG CKR, two teams of the Army’s RR, a CRPF team and SOG of Srinagar police were present at the time of the incident.
The DIG said that the footage and “other evidence” show that Amir Magray had accompanied the foreign militant during an earlier attack in Jamalata area of Srinagar.
“Amir would often travel to Bandipora and Gurez, an angle which is still under investigation,” DIG said.
The bodies of Bhat and Dr Gul were exhumed on November 18 night, hours after LG Manoj Sinha ordered a magisterial probe into the ‘encounter’. The exhumation took place after the families of the duo held protests to demand their bodies.