Killing Of Gujjar Youth In Police ‘Encounter’ Sparks Outrage In J&K
CM Omar Abdullah demands ‘time-bound transparent’ probe’
Srinagar: The killing of a 21-year-old tribal youth from the Gujjar community in an alleged police encounter in Jammu has sparked anger among sections of population even as various political parties and their leaders and activists including Chief Minister Omar Abdullah have called for an impartial probe into the incident.
Mohammad Parvez was shot dead by the police in the Sure Chak area of Jammu’s Satwari quarter on July 24. The police claimed Parvez was a suspected drug peddler and was killed in crossfire during a chase, with another individual escaping.
Parvez’s family and community leaders have strongly disputed this narrative, asserting that he had no criminal record or FIRs against him and was not involved in any illegal activities. He was married three months ago.
The killing has sparked significant public outrage, particularly among the Gujjar community, who allege targeted killings of their youth under pretexts like drug peddling or cattle smuggling.
Amid the growing anger and protests by the members of Gujjar community, Chief Minister Abdullah on Friday said that the use of force by the police ought to be calibrated and that it cannot be indiscriminate. He also called for a transparent and time bound probe into the incident. In a post on ‘X’, he called the killing “highly unfortunate and deeply regrettable.”
He added, “J&K has paid a heavy price in the past because of incidents such as these. This incident should be investigated in a transparent and time bound manner. I send my condolences to the family of Mohammad Parvez. May Allah grant him Jannat”.
Former chief minister and opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti said that Parvez was being labelled as a drug dealer “but even that may be the case we still live in a democratic country where justice is served through rule of law as opposed to khap panchayats or kangaroo courts”.
Demanding an impartial inquiry into the incident, she said in a ‘X’ post, “Sincerely hope the DG takes cognisance of this shocking incident by ordering a time bound impartial probe. We must not descend or condone a culture of extra judicial encounters because that’s precisely what alienates people.”
The police had on Thursday claimed that they recovered 12-15 grams of a heroin-like-substance from the slain youth’s possession and have launched a search to trace his associate, who is on the run. They said that acting on specific input about drug peddling, a team from the District Special Branch (DSB) along with personnel from Police Post Phallain Mandal were chasing some suspected drug peddlers in Sure Chak, where they came under fire.
Tribal activist Talib Hussain alleged systemic targeting of the community, pointing to a pattern of such incidents. He noted that the police filed an FIR against Parvez and another individual for attempted murder, contradicting assurances given to the family and community. These assurances included suspending two involved police officials, providing ₹35 lakh in compensation, and offering a government job to a family member. Hussain insisted the encounter was fake, emphasizing that Parvez had no prior FIRs. He claimed Parvez and his brother-in-law were stopped at a checkpoint and shot without justification, despite legal arrest being an option if suspicions existed.
The police on Friday placed under suspension, head constable Baljinder Singh and senior grade constable Pawan Singh for the killing of a 21-year-old tribal youth from the Gujjar community in an alleged police encounter in Jammu on Thursday.
The police also constituted a special investigation team (SIT) led by a Deputy SP-ranked officer to probe the incident. The district magistrate ordered a magisterial inquiry into killing of Mohammad Parvez to "ensure a fair and impartial examination of the facts and circumstances leading to the incident". The inquiry officer has been directed to complete the investigation within two weeks and submit a report.
The killing of Parvez has sparked anger among sections of population even as various political parties and their leaders and activists including Chief Minister Omar Abdullah have called for an impartial probe into the incident.
