Srinagar: Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Thursday called for shutdown on Friday in protest against the killing of civilians in Hyderpora encounter on November 15.
“In solidarity with the devastated families of the slain civilians and their demand that the dead bodies of their loved ones be returned to them for burial, people should observe shutdown on Friday November 19 on their own,” it said in a statement. .
The amalgam said that the tragedy that has struck the families of innocent civilians killed in the Hyderpora encounter is so tormenting that its pain has stunned the people of Kashmir.
“Eighteen month old Inaya, infant daughter of slain Dr Mudasir Gul held by her distraught mother who is sitting on the roads in freezing cold, protesting not for punishment to the killers of her husband but pleading and begging to the authorities that at least the dead body of her husband be returned to her so that she sees him one last time and gives him a decent burial is agonising,” it said.
This is for the first time that Hurriyat led by Mirwaiz has called for shutdown since the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5 in 2019.
“The manner in which the older brother of slain Altaf Bhat and other family members are being forcibly dragged and beaten by state forces and huddled into police vehicles to prevent them even from demanding the dead bodies of their loved ones for burial is unbelievably inhuman,” it said.

Press Trust of India