Irshad Hussain
Last gunfight of the year 2020, which broke out on 30th December 2020, at Lawaypora in the outskirts of Srinagar city in which the Security forces claimed to have killed three militants, who were later identified by their families as civilians.
Wani, an 11th standard student from Bellow, Aijaz Ganaie, a graduate student from Putrigam, both in Pulwama district and Zubair Lone, a carpenter by profession from Turkwangam from Shopian.
ALSO READ: ‘Video Could be Dubbed, May be Nobody was Inside the House’- Not the First Claim of ‘Fake Encounter’ in Hokarsar Srinagar
As the encounter concluded, the images of the trio killed surfaced on social media. The homes of all the three boys were flooded by people that sent shockwaves to the South Kashmir residencies, hundreds poured onto the streets.
Just after the gunfight concluded the Army’s General Officer Commanding (GoC) of Kilo Force, Sahi claimed that the “three militants killed in the gunfight at Lawaypora on Srinagar outskirts were planning a big strike on the Highway”.
Meanwhile, after the photographs of the bodies made rounds on the social media, three families from south Kashmir claimed the killed trio and vouched for their innocence. They marched out towards Police Control Room Srinagar, (PCR) rejecting the allegations of security forces for labelling their children militants.
Families Steadfast, Await Investigation report
The Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said, “Let me tell you Jammu and Kashmir is a very sensitive union territory. I have noted all versions including that of forces and families
of slain Trio. “I will come up with the facts before you at an appropriate time, “ he said.
The delay in probes, investigations, autopsy reports, leads to anger among the Kashmiris and furthering the anger of Kashmiris in the judicial system of Government.
ALSO READ: ‘Ours was in Srinagar to Deposit Fees, Our Son Went to Repair his Bike’- Families Plead the Innocence of Sons Killed in Srinagar Encounter
The initial alarm on the encounter was raised on the 30th by The Kashmiriyat editor Qazi Shibli around 1:20 PM. The families soon reached the Police Control room in Srinagar and staged a protest claiming that the three were killed in a staged encounter, a claim refuted by Forces, who said that the trio was planning a “Major attack” along the Baramulla- Srinagar highway.
As the claims of the Fake encounter in the aftermath of Shopian Fake encounter grew, the Jammu Kashmir Police’s Official Twitter handle posted a video wherein following an SOP, the forces were heard appealing the “trapped terrorists” to surrender to the Forces who had laid a siege around the area in which the trio was said to be hiding, but the family has questioned the authenticity of the video.
“Nothing is proven in the video, we do not know if anyone is hiding in the building, the video could be dubbed, why did it take seven days for Police to release the video, which is otherwise done even before the encounter most of the times?” a brother of Zubair told The Kashmiriyat over the phone.
Abid Ahmad lone, brother of the slain Zubair lone, told The Kashmiriyat that After the staged gunfight, till now no one came to our house for investigation. So far, the government said they ordered enquiry and will unveil the culprits. “We are eagerly waiting for the government’s decision about this case, ” Abid said.
The Elder brother of slain Zubair lone, While speaking to The Kashmiriyat he said, ” So far, I didn’t get any response from the government, all I am hearing is they will see and justice will be done. “Till 2:45 Pm, he was seen in his area. And after that, we were unable to communicate with him. And in the morning the picture of this dead body on the social media shocked all of us,” Riyaz said.
“He had no FIR in police record nor had any involvement in stone-throwing incidents in the area, ” he added.
Ashraf Mushtaq who is the father of slain Athar, released his video message in which he said, ” I beg to Governor to do justice and as I heard he is an upright man. For the sake of humanity stand with us and identify the culprits.”
In the viral video on social media, he further added, “Unfortunately three innocents were killed by forces among them two children belonged to police personnel. I appeal to the police to raise their voice against the oppressors, for the sake of humanity we have to rise against tyranny and oppression so that these killers are punished.”
He also thanked the media fraternity for coming out in support for their families.
Athar’s Grave will wait Like Maqbool’s
The families while speaking to The Kashmiriyat while demanding the bodies of their kin asked that authorities break silence on the encounter. Mushtaq Wani, father of Athar Mushtaq questioned the government’s silence on the issue. “It has been weeks, Nobody has come to us for the sake of investigation. We are silent as we await the administration’s response on the case, but as of now, they have failed to prove that our children were militants,” Wani told The Kashmiriyat
Family members of Zubair Ahmad also said that if the authorities can prove their son was a militant, they will never seek his body. “They must return the body of our son and punish the culprits who killed him, as they have failed to get single evidence against Zubair,” the brother of Zubair said.
The family demanded a constitution of a Special investigative team to probe the entire matter.
“The father of Athar has dug a grave, and this is not the first grave in Kashmir that awaits a dead body, we have such incidents in the past, Maqbool Bhat and Afzal’s Guru’s bodies too await them, like Athar,” a cousin of Athar told The Kashmiriyat.
He said that his father, Mushtaq Ahmed demand nothing other than his son’s body being returned to him. “He keeps on repeating that he buried his son in a pit out there in Central Kashmir and he wants o bring him back so that he can see him every day.”