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Families of two civilians killed in J&K gunfight hold protest
Staging a protest at Press Enclave on Residency Road, families of Altaf Ahmad Bhat and Mudasir Gul said that they were notOGWs and demanded that their bodies be returned.
The families of two civilians, who were killed in the Hyderpora encounter, staged a protest here on Wednesday, seeking justice for the victims and return of their bodies.
Businessman Altaf Ahmad Bhat (48) and Mudasir Gul (43) were killed along with two terrorists during the gunbattle in Hyderpora area of Srinagar on Monday night. On Tuesday, a controversy erupted after police claimed they were over ground workers (OGWs) of terrorism and their families claimed they were used by security forces as human shields during the encounter.
Staging a protest at Press Enclave on Residency Road, families of Bhat and Gul said that they were OGWs and demanded that their bodies be returned.
“I knew how hardworking my husband was. The police are lying. Show me the proof that my husband was working with terrorists. Since yesterday, my one-year-old daughter has been searching for her father. Mudasir was neither an OGW nor a terrorist but a daughter,” Gul’s wife, Humaira, said.
“Give me the body of my husband. I want to see his face for one last time. Give us justice. We want proper justice. If something happens to my family, this government will be responsible for it,” she added.
Gul’s relatives also blamed police for his death.
“This is great injustice. People are first used as a human shield and then they are killed. Families are then denied a decent burial,” a relative said, seeking anonymity.
Bhat’s family also joined the protests, demanding the return of his body.
“We only have one request, to hand over the body of Altaf Ahmad Bhat. We will continue our protests till the body is returned to the family,” the businessman’s elder brother, Abdul Majeed, who is a ‘numberdar’ (revenue official), said.
Fearing trouble, police buried the two bodies in Handwara, around 70 km away from Hyderpora, without the participation of their families on Tuesday. “Due to law and order problems, the bodies were not handed over to the families and buried at Handwara,” Inspector general (Kashmir) Vijay Kumar said on Tuesday.
