Claim Altaf was used as human shield by militant, Amir was a militant and the militant travelled in Dr Mudasir’s vehicle

Srinagar: More than a month after the Hyderpora encounter in which the killing of three locals who were said to be militants were questioned, Police on Tuesday said that one of them was a ‘militant,’ the other was offering his vehicle and space for the slain foreign militant.
Families of the three locals, Altaf Bhat, the owner of the building where the encounter took place, Dr Mudasir Gul, the tenant in Bhat’s building, and Amir Magrey, the helper of Mudasir, have out rightly denied that they were militants and protested against their burial away from their families in north Kashmir. As a result, police exhumed and returned the bodies of Bhat and Dr Mudasir to their families who buried them at their local graveyards. Amir’s body still remains buried there along with a foreign militant as part of police’s policy of burying them away from their local graveyards.
In a press conference, DIG central Kashmir Sujit Kumar said that the building owner Altaf was used as a human shield by the militant Bilal Bhai, who was living in Dr Mudasir Gul’s chamber along with Amir Magray. He said that Dr Mudasir Gul was traveling with the militant in his car in Srinagar city. He claimed that Amir Magray was a militant as well.
“The footage and other evidence show that Amir Magray had accompanied the foreign militant in Jamalatta Srinagar attack. Amir would often travel to Bandipora and Gurez, an area which is still under investigation,” Kumar said. “The local youth Amir Magray was a militant and had lied about the presence of foreign militant in the building and that the building owner was made a human shield by the foreign militant who got killed in the cross-fire.
This all has been found during the probe which was ordered by the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. The SIT headed by DIG was constituted and investigation was on.
Kumar said that prima-facie evidence shows that Dr Mudasir Gul was shot dead by the militant on the directions ‘possibly from across the border’.
“The investigations reveal that building owner Altaf Bhat was made human shield by foreign militant and that he was killed in crossfire,” he said.
The officer said besides examining the CCTV footage and call detail records, the SIT has also examined more than 20 witnesses so far. “Statements of six of these witnesses have been recorded before the magistrate at well,” he added.
Asked why the civilians were sent in for house searches if the security forces had information about the presence of militants inside, Kumar said Bhat had volunteered to go inside as “he was very sure that there was no one hiding inside”.
“At no point of time did any of them tell the security forces about the presence of the terrorist inside or seek any help, “ he added.
The SIT chief said the investigation was still going on and the team was open to reviewing its findings if any evidence, suggesting so, comes to light.
On Amir’s involvement, Singh said the recoveries made in the building like codeine bottles and winter apparel pointed to the existence of a hideout.
Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbagh Singh and IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar were part of the press conference.
During the investigation, two pistols and four magazines were recovered from the operation site, he said.
Kumar also said that the family of the building owner hasn’t given them a proper reply as to who was living on the rent, what was their rent payment system, rent deed, etc.
“There are no satisfactory details from Altaf’s family,” he said.
Asked if the police disclosure about the investigations could preempt the magisterial probe ordered by the union territory government, Inspector General of Police Kashmir zone Vijay Kumar said the inquiry was already complete.
“That probe has been completed and the report has been submitted to the government four days ago. The government has directed the District Magistrate to place the report before the judicial magistrate concerned,” he added.

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Junaid Nabi Bazaz