Handwara, a hamlet in north Kashmir, erupted on Saturday over the death of a 21-year-old who reportedly walked into an army ambush on Friday night and was shot after being mistaken for a militant.
The family of Manzoor Ahmad Magray alleged that he was killed in cold blood near Chogal Handwara, about 95 km north of Srinagar. Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah termed the killing “another needless death in a bloody Kashmir”.
Manzoor’s father Ghulam Ahmad Magray, an activist of the ruling National Conference, said, “The army came to my house last night. They took my son to nearby bridge and shot him dead.”
The army, in a statement, regretted Manzoor’s death. The police have registered a case of murder against the army and a magisterial probe has been ordered. Sources said Abdullah had left for Handwara, as the protests broke the spell of peace in the Valley that had limped back to normalcy after four months of unrest, following the death of Tufail Ahmad Mattoo, 17, who was allegedly hit on the head by a police teargas shell.