Srinagar, Jan 04 : Families of three youth killed in Hokersar “encounter” in Srinagar outskirts in last week, staged protest demonstration on Monday, demanding fair investigation into the case and return of bodies.
According to KNS, the father of 16-year old slain Athar Mushtaq demanded fair investigation into the case. “We want justice. We are ‘oppressed’. Our son was innocent. Return his body,” Mushtaq Ahmad Wani, father of slain Athar told reporters here.
He said that forces snatched everything from me. “Nothing is left with me. Why forces left me alive? They should kill me too and bury me along with my son”, Wani said. He added that “You (soldiers) will get more rewards and would be praised by your family as valiant sepoy on being killed an innocent”.
He said that, “I want to tell the people of every country that I want justice, I want my son back. He was just a 16-year-old kid. I have died already. Either give me my son or bury me there only. Give me my son! When will these forces be happy? Are they happy now after killing a piece of my heart? They have kept their money and medal for their children. They are feeding their children by killing mine. It’s a shame!”
Earlier, after the government forces denied the bodies of the three persons killed in an alleged gunfight on Srinagar’s outskirts, Wani dug a grave in his native village of Bellow, in south Kashmir’s Pulwama and demanded the body of his slain son, failing which he had warned of committing suicide.
On December 30, the Army’s General Officer Commanding (GoC) of Kilo Force, H. S. Sahi, said: “With the first light the firefight again resumed and militants used heavy ammunition against security forces.” Sahi claimed that the “three militants killed in the gunfight at Lawaypora on Srinagar outskirts were planning a big strike”. However, after the photographs of the bodies went viral on social media, three families from south Kashmir claimed the killed trio and vouched for their innocence.
The trio was identified as Ather Wani from Bellow, Pulwama, Aijaz Ganaie from Putrigam, Pulwama, and Zubair Lone from Turkwangam, Shopian.
Earlier, in a statement, the police claimed that “background check also reveals that Aijaz and Ather Mushtaq, both OGWs (Over ground workers) variously provided logistic support to terrorists”.
“Antecedents and verifications too show that both were radically inclined and had aided terrorists of LeT (now so-called TRF) outfit. [sic] One of OGW presently under police custody has also corroborated Aijaz’s association with LeT terrorist Faisal Mustaq Baba who was killed in Meej (Pampore) encounter in June last year,” the statement added.
