The meeting took place on the outskirts of Srinagar (Archive)
Srinagar:
Hours after Jammu and Kashmir police said that three terrorists were shot and killed outside Srinagar, the families of the murdered “terrorists” alleged that “innocent” youth, including the son of a police officer, were killed in an organized meeting and they passed out as terrorists. One of those killed was a class 11 student, the family claimed.
The meeting was held jointly by the police and the army. Police in a statement said all three were terrorists, but were not listed as terrorists in police records.
“Although the three terrorists killed in the encounter were not mentioned in our terrorist list, two of them are staunch partners of terrorists (OGW),” police said in the statement.
Police use the term “OGW” or “field worker” for anyone they suspect of having links to terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.
Police said one of the dead was a relative of terrorist Hizbul Mujahideen Rayees Kachroo, who was killed in 2017.
Those killed in Wednesday’s encounter have been identified as Ajaz Maqbool Ganie and Ather Mushtaq, residents of Pulwama, and Zubair Lone, a resident of Shopian. Ajaz Maqbool Ganie is the son of a police chief stationed in the Ganderbal district, according to his relatives.
The Srinagar encounter took place just four days after police filed a charge sheet against an army captain and two other people for killing three innocent men at Shopian and posing as Pakistani terrorists in July.
An army investigative court also charged the soldiers with killing innocent men. After the encounter, the soldiers claimed to have found weapons at the meeting place. Later, the investigation found that troops placed weapons on the bodies of three workers.
After Wednesday’s encounter, police said they recovered an assault rifle and two pistols.
Police denied the allegations by the families, adding that the families are unaware of their children’s activities. “In general, parents have no idea about the activities of their wards. Several OGWs after committing terrorist crimes such as grenade throwing and pistol shooting normally remain with their family,” the police statement said.
The families said the men left the house the day before the meeting. They protested in front of the police control room in Srinagar. They said that two of the three were students who had come to Srinagar to be admitted to an institution.
“They were present at home until yesterday. How is it that they became terrorists overnight and died in an encounter?” said a relative of one of the men.
The National Conference and the Popular Democratic Party have demanded an investigation.
.
