Former Chief Minister Leads Protest March To Raj Bhawan
Srinagar: Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday said there were doubts whether there really was a militant who the police claim was killed in the Hyderpora alleged encounter.
“They (police) say there was a militant. Where is the killed militant? We have not seen the body or the face of the fourth person who was labelled as a militant. We have doubts whether there really was a militant or whether they killed the three civilians unnecessarily,” she said.
The PDP president flanked by her daughter Iltija was leading a protest march of her party activists from Gupkar Road residence ‘Fairview’ to the nearby Raj Bhavan. Speaking to reporters after she was stopped by police near Raj Bhawan, Mehbooba said there was a huge question mark on the whole incident.
She said even the family members who were protesting were evicted in the dead of the night. “They should be ashamed of themselves. People in Kashmir don’t ask for justice, they are now asking for bodies only,” she added.
Mehbooba said Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha should apologise to the families of the persons killed in the Hyderpora alleged encounter as well as the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“Innocent people were killed in the Hyderpora encounter. As LG is the head of the unified command, he should apologise to the kin of the killed persons and take back the blot on them for being militants or hybrid militants or OGWs.”
Mehbooba demanded that the body of the third person — Amir Margay from the Ramban area of Chenab Valley — killed in the shootout be returned to the family and called for stringent punishment to those involved in the incident.
“They should return Amir’s body, give compensation and the unified command should seek an apology from the people of Kashmir,” Mehbooba told reporters.
Mehbooba reiterated the demand for a judicial probe into the incident to bring the facts to the fore. “A judicial inquiry be conducted and stringent punishment be given to those involved in this (incident),” she said.
We have information, there is an allegation that they were made a human shield because they had a suspicion that there was a militant. But there is a huge question mark on whether there was a militant or not, Mehbooba said.
Mehbooba alleged that the country was being “run on the BJP-RSS agenda.”
“There are no rights here. They trampled upon the Constitution by abrogating Article 370. The country or J-K is not being run according to the Constitution. It is being run as per the agenda of the BJP-RSS which is to crush the minorities. There is more oppression here as J-K is a Muslim-majority state,” she said.
“They have taken out the funeral of democracy here. They do not allow anyone to talk, to protest. All doors have been closed, so they should seek an apology for this oppression,” Mehbooba added. (With inputs from PTI)
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