Killed for protecting forests in Kashmir?

Budgam, Kashmir: Sonaullah Zargar, a 30-year-old forest activist, who was dedicated to protecting the Sukhnag Forests in Budgam, was found dead in the Valley. His body was found near a stream a week ago.

Initially Zargar's death was passed off as an accident but now the police suspect the timber mafia as well as corrupt forest staff to be behind his death. The Block Forest Officer Abdul Gani War and three timber smugglers have already been arrested by the police.

''He used to directly report to the higher officials of the Forest Department and lower-rung officials were not happy with his activities. He curbed timber smuggling to a great extent in this area," said Muzaffar Bhat, RTI activist.

His brother Mushtaq Ahmad Zargar also believed that he was murdered. ''They say he drowned. He did not drown,'' he said.

''He was hit on head. There were injuries on his head. He was also strangulated. There were rope marks around his neck,'' added Sonaullah's other brother Shamsudin Zargar.

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While police sources say they have found crucial leads about the killers, the forest vigilante's murder is a chilling reminder about the ruthlessness that the powerful timber mafia is capable of exercising. This case is now a test for the government to expose the larger racket, given the strong nexus and political patronage of the smugglers in Kashmir.