Authorities removed the remains of two civilians from a cemetery in Handwara, Jammu, and Kashmir, where they were buried with two others slain in Monday’s encounter at Hyderpora.
Mohammad Altaf Bhat and Dr. Mudassir Gul are the two residents.
A debate emerged after Monday’s encounter in Hyderpora, as contradicting statements about the two dead were made by their family members in response to the police’s accusation that they were terrorist accomplices.
The remains were unearthed just after sunset and are expected to be returned to their families later that night, authorities added. There will be no gathering of crowds during the burial.
This will be the first time since the emergence of the Covid-19 epidemic in March last year that the corpse of a person buried under police surveillance has been returned to his relatives.
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The remains are being transported to Srinagar from Handwara, where they were first buried, authorities said. They will be escorted by a police squad.
Earlier in the day, J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha ordered a magisterial inquiry into the Hyderpora encounter, while assuring that no injustice occurred.
“A magisterial probe into the Hyderpora incident has been ordered by an officer of ADM level. The government will take appropriate measures as soon as the report is filed on schedule. The administration of Jammu and Kashmir reiterates its commitment to preserving the lives of innocent people and to ensure there is no injustice “LG J&K’s office said in a tweet.
The decision came a day after the relatives of two civilians slain in the Hyderpora encounter demonstrated in Press Enclave, seeking justice for the deaths and the repatriation of their remains.
Abdul Majeed Bhat, Altaf Bhat’s brother, also expressed thanks to LG Sinha for demanding an investigation. At least four persons, including a Pakistani terrorist and a local accomplice, were killed Monday in a “cross-firing” incident between militants and security personnel in Srinagar’s Hyderpora neighborhood.
