Today on Monday morning families of 3 boys Ather, Zubair, and Aijaz staged protest in Press colony Srinagar.
families were accompanied by many other social activists and relatives of these boys.
The Indian army has been accused of faking this encounter for some medals and promotions by the families of 3 boys killed in Srinagar encounter.
On 31 December 2020, just a day before new year Ather, Aijaz, and Zubair were gunned down in one of the house at HMT Srinagar, Meanwhile
Army claimed that all 3 were having links with militants and were working as OGWs.
Their families had no idea that the 3 killed in Srinagar Encounter are their kids,
until pictures of their diabodies went viral on social media and then people recognized all 3 as:
- Aijaz Maqbool Ganai (20)
- Ather Mushtaq Wani (16)
- Zubair Ahmed Lone (22)
All these 3 boys hail from South Kashmir, 2 from Pulwama and one from Shopian.
Indian Army version on Srinagar Encounter
Indian army chief has completely rebutted the claims of families and has said that all 3 were have links with militant organizations, they were providing logistics to the rebels.
we were continuously monitoring these 3 boys and finally today we were able to eliminate them said the army chief in his live press conference.
Also one of the deceased Ather (16-Years-old) was a relative of Hizbul Mujahideen top commander Rayees Kachroo (Kachroo was gunned down in 2017),
Ather was working for as an Over Ground Worker and was providing assistance to Kachroo’s associates.
Police Statement
The Jammu and Kashmir police said that they are investigating the case “from all the possible angles”.
On 2nd of January 2021, J&K Police issued a statement, in which Police claimed that the Srinagar encounter started with the army’s inputs
and eventually fructified into a joint operation of Army, CRPF, and J&K Police,
Meanwhile, the Police in its Wednesday’s statement had said that
the encounter was completely initiated by Rashtriya Rifles battalion and the J&K Police had no information.
Police in its Friday said that all these 3 boys started their journey from their homes in South Kashmir and
first they reached in Hyderpora Srinagar from their to the Encounter site in HMT.
Families Statement of the Ather, Aijaz, and Zubair
The Families have accused security forces of staging the encounter, and claimed that their wards left their homes Tuesday to go to Srinagar, Furthermore
Ather was a class 11 student of JKBOSE, and was going to appear for his Urdu paper on Thursday. “He was not a militant neither was having any links with them” claimed his family.
Meanwhile Aijaz had last spoke to his sister at 4:30 pm, to say that he has reached Pulwama Degree College safely.
He had gone to submit his examination form, he was pursuing B.Sc. Degree, said his sister Asiya in an interview with ThePrint, Also
Aijaz was having a back problem and was bedridden for the last 35 days and
on 31 December 2020 for the first time in a while he had left home just to submit the exam form, said Asiya.
Zubair’s family has also called the encounter staged by security forces,
they said that all 3 boys were picked by the Indian army from Pulwama and were gunned down in a staged encounter in HMT Srinagar.
Families Demand
The Families of all 3 boys are demanding the dead bodies of their Sons,
Police has already buried their bodies in the forests of Ganderbal district.
They said, we want to perform the last rites of our kids and want to see them at least for the last time.
they have been continuously protesting and demanding return of dead bodies.
Former CM’s have also demanded a probe in this encounter and the return of bodies of 3 boys.
Mehbooba Mufti Tweeted –