DGP Dilbagh Singh says police too will also hold enquiry to find out what went wrong
SRINAGAR, NOVEMBER 18: Within hours after the announcement of magisterial enquiry by UT’s Lt Governor Manoj Sinha in Hyderpora encounter, Jammu and Kashmir Government on Thursday appointed Additional District Magistrate Khurshid Ahmad Shah to investigate the matter.
The ADM has issued a notice asking people to record their statements and give information related to the encounter, sources said.
Earlier on Thursday morning, the Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had ordered a magisterial inquiry into the Monday night Hyderpora encounter in which J&K Police had claimed that two militants including a Pakistani national, along with an OGW and the owner of the commercial building were killed in the gunfight.
“A magisterial inquiry by officer of ADM rank has been ordered in Hyderpora encounter. Govt will take suitable action as soon as report is submitted in a time-bound manner. J-K admin reiterates commitment of protecting lives of innocent civilians and it will ensure there is no injustice,” the LG’s office said in a Twitter post.
The Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh also later during the day told reporters the “police is open to correction if anything has gone wrong”. “We will look into the demands of the families. We are open to corrections if anything has gone wrong. A police probe will also find out what went wrong,’’ he said, adding “we will find out what happened in the Hyderpora encounter. We are for the safety of people and will not shy away from a probe.”
Families of the building owner, Altaf Ahmad, Dr Mudasir (both Kashmir) and Abdul Latief Magray of Ramban have demanded their bodies to be returned so that the last rites could be performed. The families also challenged the authorities to prove that the deceased had anything to do with militancy.
All the four persons slain in the Hyderpora encounter were buried by the authorities in north Kashmir Handwara tehsil after the demand of the families to return the bodies was turned down.
All mainstream politicians, including four former Chief Ministers (Farooq Abdullah, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti), Sajad Lone of the Peoples Conference and Yusuf Tarigami of the CPI-M have demanded an impartial probe into the incident.
Peoples Conference leaders, including Abdul Gani Vakil, Khurshid Alam and others carried out a protest against the Hyderpora incident. The Hurriyat Conference has also given a call for Kashmir bandh.