More than two years ago, Class 12 student Tufail Matoo polarised Kashmir in his death. But the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the death has said the "killer" remains untraced and has closed the case.

In the latest status report submitted in J&K HC, police said "all possibility of collecting evidence was explored in this case… but the SIT was not able to find any conclusive evidence". On June 11, 2010, Matoo was returning home from his tuition class when a teargas shell hit him in the head in downtown Srinagar, killing him on the spot.

Police initially refused to register an FIR and did so only on the directions of the local court.  The 17-year-old's death triggered a cycle of violence in Kashmir in the summer of 2010, which left 113 dead. The post-mortem report had confirmed that Matoo was killed by a firearm. The police had, however, denied any role in his killing. On September 26, 2011, the HC directed the police to constitute a SIT to investigate the case, after the family filed a petition. In June, the HC granted two-month time to the SIT to complete its investigation.

In the status report, the police promised HC that "secret search" for evidence would continue.