Hokersar encounter: Pleading their innocence, families demand return of bodies of slain trio

Three youths from south Kashmir were killed on December 30 inside a house in Hokersar on the outskirts of Srinagar city by the security forces

As questions swirl around the Hokersar encounter, in which three ‘militants’ were killed on December 30, the families of the deceased on Monday demanded the bodies of the slain trio so that they could “bury them with respect.”

Three youths – youngest of them being 17 years old - from south Kashmir were killed on December 30 inside a house in Hokersar on the outskirts of Srinagar city by the security forces in a joint operation. While police and army claimed that they were militants, relatives said that they were students and killed in a staged gunfight.

The families of Athar Mushtaq Wani and Zubair Ahmad Lone assembled at Srinagar’s Press Enclave and demanded "justice" be served to them. Amid tears and sobs, Athar’s father demanded that the authorities should hand over the body of his son, who was among the three youth killed in the Hokersar encounter.

Till last April, the bodies of local militants were handed over to their families for the last rites. However, citing Covid-19 pandemic outbreak as reason, the J&K police bury bodies of local ultras either at north Kashmir’s Baramulla or central Kashmir’s Sonamarg to avoid huge gatherings at funerals.

The three ‘militants’ killed in the Hokersar encounter were also buried in Sonamarg as bodies were not handed over to the families as per the new protocol.

The family of Zubair pleaded that their son was innocent and they fail to understand how he turned into a ‘militant’ just within two to three hours. Brother of Zubair, who is a policeman, said they demand the authorities to inquire about the incident so that such kind of incidents do not repeat.

“We have seen a similar incident in Amshipora (Shopian), where authorities claimed that arms and ammunition were recovered from the possession of the slain,” he said.

“Zubair was not in Srinagar on that day. We came to know that his location at around 02:30 was traced at Lassipora, a few kilometers away from our home. We approached the SHO concerned who told us to approach SSP in this regard,” he said.

While the army claimed that the slain youth were militants and planned to carry out a “big attack” on the national highway, J&K police said that the killed youths were over-ground workers (OGWs) for militants.

However, the police said they are investigating the case from all possible angles.