Hyderpora Srinagar ‘gunfight’: Three weeks on, families of those killed await probe report, demand action

The aggrieved families of Amir Ahmed Magray, Altaf Ahmed Bhat, and Dr Mudasir Gul—who were killed during an anti-militancy operation in Srinagar's Hyderpora area on November 15, 2021—hope the government probe will soon lead to action.

Srinagar: Following a controversial gunfight in the Hyderpora area of Jammu & Kashmir last month, the government has missed the deadline it set for itself to complete the magisterial probe in the killings.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Vijay Kumar on November 16 claimed that four persons had been killed in the “gunfight” in Hyderpora, an uptown area in Srinagar.

According to the IGP, the deceased had been identified as Haider, a foreign militant from Pakistan; his associate, Amir Ahmed Magray, a tea seller from Ramban Jammu; the owner of the building, Altaf Ahmed Bhat; and Dr Mudasir Gul, a dentist-turned-businessman.

However, the families of Magray, Bhat and Gul refuted the claims that they were militants and said they were “innocent civilians” and were killed in a “staged gunfight”. The families of Bhat and Gul had lodged a protest at Srinagar’s Press Colony, persuading the government to order a magisterial probe into the alleged gunfight.

Magisterial probe

On November 19, the government nominated Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Srinagar, Khurshid Ahmad Shah, to conduct the magisterial inquiry and submit his report within 15 days.

ADM had asked the people to record their statements in 10 days.

On December 4, L.G. Sinha in an interview with a news channel said that the report on the Hyderpora gunfight would come in three days. Weeks have passed, yet the government is yet to finalise the probe report.

J&K DGP Dilbag Singh on the other hand maintained the ongoing investigation into the Hyderpora gunfight suggests the militants were supported by a network in carrying out “terror” activities. “A special investigation team has been constituted by the zonal police. There are strong pieces of evidence available in this case that will be shared with the authorities concerned very soon,” he told reporters last month.

Anti-militancy operation

On the evening of November 15 police, security forces launched an anti-militancy operation in Hyderpora area of Srinagar city.

The police initially said both Bhat and Gul were “militant associates” or “hybrid militants”, but later changed their statement. The statement issued on November 16 did not say Bhat was involved in militant activities.

Following the alleged gunfight, police while citing law and order and Covid protocol, buried all the four bodies away from home in the Wudder Payeen area of north Kashmir’s Handwara, 100 km from Srinagar.

However, after widespread protests from both families as well as political leaders, on November 18, the authorities reconsidered the decision and finally exhumed the bodies of Bhat and Gul from the graveyard in Handwara and handed them over for a second burial in Srinagar. However, Magray’s body is yet to be returned to his family members.

Families demand judicial probe

Following the LG’s announcement of a magisterial probe in the killings, the families of Bhat Gul and Magray seem to be dissatisfied with the government probe and are seeking a judicial probe into the incident.

A mourner sitting with Bhat’s aggrieved family in Barzullah, Srinagar, said the LG’s decision of a time-bound magisterial probe into the incident was mere “eyewash”. “During the past three decades, such probes have yielded nothing. The inquiry officers are government servants and not independent, therefore the probes are bound to be biased," he said.

Abdul Majeed Bhat, Bhat's elder brother, said that 15 days before the LG had assured them that those found guilty in the incident wouldn’t be spared, and that the administration was committed to ensuring justice - but so far, nothing has come out.

Data available with Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), a federation of human rights organisation and individuals working in Kashmir, shows that from the year 2008, successive governments in J&K have ordered as many as 108 magisterial probes but the majority of reports have not been made public.

Bhat’s niece Saima, who is also a journalist, said that her family is awaiting justice, and wants proper action taken against the “culprits” involved in the killing of her uncle.

Saima remembers her uncle Altaf as someone who was always anxious to stay out of trouble. “I remember during the 1990s when military raids and crackdowns were common, he used to get so scared and nervous.”

Altaf, who was 42, is survived by his wife Maryam and two children—Noha Altaf and Ibaad Altaf.

Only five kilometers away from Barzulla is another grieving family—Dr Mudasir’s aged parents, wife Rafia, and two children Qurba and Abeer.

In Kanipora Nowgam, Srinagar, Gul’s father Ghulam Mohammad Rather, 41, said that Mudasir's death has shocked the entire family.

"My son worked hard to become a doctor, and when he did not get a job, he started his business. He got married and has children... Let the police check the record of our entire family. No one in our family was linked to militancy directly or indirectly,” Rather said.

Rather added: "Government should remove the tag of militancy on my son so that his children may not undergo any trouble during their careers. A thorough probe into the incident should be done which will ensure justice and rehabilitation of the family.”

Both families thanked the LG administration for returning the bodies, and expressed hope for a speedy probe and justice.

Magray’s father Latief, 58, said, “I was commended with a bravery award by the then state administration and army for killing a militant. How can my son be linked to militancy?”