Srinagar, Apr 03: A youth, who was injured during clashes between protesters and government forces in Kangan area of Ganderbal district yesterday, died at a hospital here today, officials said.
Gowhar Ahmad Rather, a resident of Kangan in Ganderbal, had been admitted to SKIMS Soura with critical head injury, the officials said.
“Rather, who was on a ventilator since yesterday, breathed his last this afternoon,” a police official said.
The deceased was injured during clashes between protestors and government forces in Kangan area last evening.
While the locals alleged that he had sustained fire arm injuries after being shot at by government forces, a police spokesman said Rather suffered critical injuries after he fell into a drain.
“A group of miscreants had gathered in Kangan market to pelt stones and disturb law-and-order in the area. A police party reached the spot, on seeing which, the miscreants started running, during which the boy fell down and injured his head on the edge of the drain,” a police spokesman said.
“Reports regarding bullet injury are completely false since no bullet was fired on the spot,” he said.
Meanwhile, the district magistrate Ganderbal has ordered a magisterial probe into Rather’s death while police also ordered a departmental inquiry.
“I have ordered a magisterial probe to ascertain the cause of death of Gowhar Ahmed Rather, a resident of Kangan,” said the District Magistrate Ganderbal, Dr Piyush Singla.
He said that the justice will be served to the family of the deceased.
Police also ordered a departmental enquiry besides a “regular criminal investigation” into the killing of Rather, police spokesman said in a statement.
Expressing grief over the death of Gowher Ahmad Rather, Hurriyat-G chairman Syed Ali Geelani today said that “our youngsters are being killed with impunity as India has let lose the reign of terror in occupied state.”
According to a press release issued here, praying for the slain youth, Geelani expressed sympathy and solidarity with his family and also prayed for the speedy recovery of those injured in forces’ action, saying “the so-called rulers have given the forces a license to kill Kashmiri youth.”
Terming the killing of Gowher Ahmad as “cold blooded murder”, Geelani said, “the blood-hungry men in uniform only implement the orders of the rulers who in order to please their masters in New Delhi are on a killing spree in Kashmir.”
Geelani warned of dire consequences and said people will resist and resent if these killings are not stopped forthwith.
Meanwhile, Police on Tuesday recovered the body of a youth abducted by gunmen last night from his in-laws’ home in Hajin area of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district.
A police official said that the body of Naseer Ahmad Parrey (26) alias Muntazir, son of Ghulam Nabi Parrey, was recovered from a stream in Baghat Mohalla Shahgund, five kilometers from his residence in Hajin.
Naseer, as per his family and the police, was kidnapped at gunpoint by suspected militants from the house of his in-laws last night around 10:15 pm.
“The body bears visible bullet marks. It will be handed over to the next of his kin after post-mortem,” said a police official.
“Lashkar-e-Taiba is behind the killing of Naseer, who was abducted from his in-laws’ house last night. Three of his relatives, including two women, were injured by the militants,” a police spokesman said.
He said the militants barged into house of one Farooq Ahmad Parrey at Par Mohalla Hajin last night and opened firing on the inmates while abducting Naseer. “They (militants) used knives to cause grievous injuries to wife, daughter and brother of Farooq,” the spokesman said, adding the injured persons were shifted to a hospital here for treatment.
He said during investigation it has come to notice that a local militant Mohammad Saleem Parrey has played a major role in the killing of Naseer.
“Five foreign militants affiliated with LeT, Abu Muslim, Hubaib, Khalid, Abu Hamza and Haider are also involved in the killing,” police spokesman said.
The spokesman also said the militants had killed Farooq’s son last year.
“Muzzafar Ahmad Parrey alias Muzz Nata was killed ruthlessly by militants last summer. He was first decapitated and then his body was thrown into the river,” spokesman added.
