Hyderpora killings: Families, politicians reject SIT probe; police warns against 'speculative' statements

As the families of victims of the Hyderpora “encounter” and local political parties on Wednesday disagreed with special investigation team’s (SIT) clean chit to security forces, J&K police warned leaders of “appropriate penal” action for “speculative” statements.

“Today, SIT (Special Investigation Team) came across several posts on media from some political leaders and family members wherein they have cast doubts upon the evidence obtained by SIT so far. These people have tried to call it “Concocted Cover up Story”, “Ornamental Probe”, “Clean Chit to Killers”, “Fairy Tale of Police” etc,” a police spokesperson said in a statement.

“Such speculative statements from the political leaders have a tendency to create provocation, rumour, fear and alarm among the general masses or particular section of society. This kind of approach is against the rule of law and may attract appropriate penal provisions as envisaged under law,” he warned.

Read | Hyderpora killings: PAGD calls J&K police SIT probe a 'cover up'

The SIT chief had on Tuesday evening said that two civilians, a doctor and a businessman were used as human shields by militants and killed during the encounter on November 15 in uptown Hyderpora area of Srinagar.

However, the families of the slain building owner Altaf Ahmed Bhat and Dr Mudasir Gul rejected the SIT probe of police stating that “it seems a fairy tale” alleging that Bhat was tortured and killed while as Gul’s family urged police to show them CCTV footage “where the slain doctor is ferrying foreign militant.”

“SIT probe is totally false. I reject it. My brother had severe torture marks on his body. How come he was made a human shield as claimed by police when 2,000 security forces personnel were present on the spot,” Abdul Majeed Bhat, elder brother of victim Altaf who owned the building, told reporters.

He said they don’t buy the police version as it seems a “well drafted tale.”

Similarly, Humaira Gul, the wife of Dr Gul, while rejecting police claims said that the truth was either known to those who were killed or to those who killed them. “My point is that my husband was a doctor by profession and why would he put his family at stake for nothing. The police must show us the CCTV footage where he is allegedly ferrying foreign militant Bilal Bhat,” she demanded.

The J&K Apni Party and the Peoples Conference (PC), who are being labeled as proxies of the BJP by the National Conference and the PDP, also questioned the veracity of the SIT report. The PC termed the findings of the SIT “a fig leaf to legitimize violence by the State.”

The People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), said that there was a strong public perception that the civilians killed in the incident were made human shields by the security forces and the statement of the police seemed to be a "concocted, cover-up story."

The PAGD - an alliance of six mainstream political parties was formed in October 2020 by Kashmir centric leaders with the pledge towards restoration of the special status of J&K which was revoked by the Centre on August 5, 2019.

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