Authorities have handed over the body of 30-year-old Rashid Mughal to his family for final rites, nearly two and a half months after he was killed in an encounter in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district and identified as a “terrorist” by the Army.
A family member told The Tribune on Monday that the body was exhumed last week from a graveyard in north Kashmir, where it had been buried following the April encounter, and subsequently returned to the family.
“We buried him in our native village after the body was handed over to us,” the family member said.
The Ganderbal encounter had triggered widespread controversy after the family of the deceased, a resident of Chountwaliwar in Ganderbal district, rejected official claims that he was a terrorist and asserted that he had no links to militancy.
The Army had stated that a militant was killed in an operation. However, it did not disclose the identity or affiliation of the slain individual. The Jammu and Kashmir Police also did not issue any statement since the beginning of the operation.
A family from Chountwaliwar in Ganderbal district said the deceased was their kin and claimed he was innocent, with “no links to militancy.”
As the family demanded an inquiry, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called for a “transparent and time-bound probe,” warning that any attempt to “obfuscate or delay” the process would damage credibility.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha then ordered a “thorough and impartial” magisterial probe into the incident. The findings of the probe have not been revealed yet.
