Srinagar: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday lauded Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for promptly ordering an inquiry into allegations that the Ganderbal encounter was fake.
“The good thing is that there was no attempt to hide anything. The honourable LG promptly accepted our request for a time-bound and transparent probe into the incident,” Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of an event here.
The Army had claimed that a man it killed in an encounter in the Arhama forests on March 31 was a “terrorist”.
However, the family of the man — identified as Ganderbal resident Rashid Ahmad Mughal — has refuted the official claim that he had terror links. They alleged that the encounter was fake and have demanded the return of his body for proper burial.
The chief minister said LG Sinha has instituted a magisterial inquiry into the allegation, and the report is expected to be submitted within a week.
“The inquiry is going on. Once they complete it, the report will be made public. Our primary focus should be to avoid such incidents. But if it happens, the truth should not be hidden. People should be told the truth,” Abdullah said.
Asked if such incidents raise questions over the continuance of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), the chief minister said Jammu and Kashmir is currently a Union territory. “Forget AFSPA, even the law and order does not fall in our jurisdiction at the moment,” he said.
Responding to another question, Abdullah said incidents like encounters raise questions over the claim of normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Recently, two Pakistani militants were killed. Questions will arise as to how they (terrorists) came inside. Such things should not happen in a normal situation,” he said.
