Kashmir Protests Against Youth Murders

SRINAGAR: The Hurriyat camp has called for "Kashmir Bandh" today against the killing of three militants whose visibly scarred bodies were found in an orchard in north Kashmir's Dangerpora locality on Monday.

A day after the Jammu and Kashmir Police said the trio were affiliated with militants, PaK-based Hizbul Mujahideen outfit owned them and accused the government forces of killing them in custody.

The photos of three, bullet-riddled bodies, abandoned in an apple orchard went viral on social networking sites in the Valley on Monday. The trio were identified as Aamir Qadir Reshi, Naveed Khan and Ashiq Hussain Wani, all residents of north Kashmir areas.

A J&K police official said a case (FIR No 165/2015) was registered under Section 302 RPC, 7/25 Arms Act at Pattan police station into the incident. An official spokesperson said the slain were affiliated with "Lashkar-e-Islam" outfit, indicating that the killings were a result of rivalry within Hizbul Mujahideen.

Contesting the police claims, Hizb chief, Syed Salahuddin, Tuesday said the three militants were affiliated with his group and accused the J&K Police's Special Operation Group (SOG) for killing them in custody.

"Lashkar-e-Islam is a non-existent outfit. The government is attempting to deceive people by claiming that the rivalry within Hizb was the reason behind the killing of the three youth," he said.

"Amir, Ashiq and Naveed had recently joined our fold. However, the agencies and the notorious Task Force killed them in their custody. Our enemy has demonstrated their cowardice with these killings,” the Hizb chief said.

In a press statement on Monday, the J&K Police had blamed the killings on the rivalry between Hizb and its breakaway faction, Lashkar-e-Islam outfit led by Abdul Qayoom Najar, a top militant carrying a reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head.

The J&K Police has accused Lashkar-e-Islam of carrying out the recent attacks on mobile installations and killing civilians, including separatist activists, in Sopore town of the Valley.

“We cannot rule out the involvement of government forces in Pattan killings. All the militant groups have condemned this incident and they have termed it as custodial killings," veteran Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani said in a statement on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the call for a shutdown against the killings evoked mild response in the Valley with traffic plying and shops and business establishments open in some parts of the capital Srinagar.

There were no reports of any protests when this report was filed, but a complete shutdown is being observed in parts of north Kashmir.