An anti-terrorism crusader from a remote village in the Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir has said that his son is among four people killed by the police and branded a terrorist during a controversial encounter in Srinagar.
Abdul Latief Magray, who had shot into prominence after killing a terrorist with a stone in the Ramban district in 2005, has said his son Amir was innocent and worked as a labourer at a shop in Srinagar.
However, the police have claimed that 24-year-old Amir Magray was a "hybrid" terrorist who was killed in an encounter inside a commercial complex in Srinagar late Monday evening.
Abdul Latief Magray received an appreciation letter from the army in 2005 for his heroics role in taking down a terrorist.
"I have myself killed a terrorist with a stone. I have taken terrorists' bullets. My cousin brother was also killed by militants. We had to migrate from our home for 11 years. I have raised my children with great difficulty by keeping them at secret locations. Today, the result of this sacrifice is that an Indian who killed a terrorist with a stone, his son is being killed and branded a terrorist," said Abdul Latief Magray.
Mr Magray said the police have even refused to return his son's body for his last rites.
"Denial of the body of my son is the reward of the fight against terrorists. My home is still guarded by police. Tomorrow the security guards can kill me and claim that I was a militant," he rued.
The encounter has become highly controversial as two businessmen including the owner of the commercial complex were also killed. The police have claimed that the businessmen were "terrorist supporters".
Relatives of the men killed in the Srinagar encounter said they had been "killed in cold blood".
While the police first said that Mohammad Altaf Bhat, a prominent businessman, and Dr Mudasir Gul, a doctor-turned-businessman, were fired at by terrorists, they later changed their statement, saying they may have been killed in the crossfire.
The families allege that both were "killed in cold blood" by security forces. They have been demanding the bodies be returned for the last rites but the police have refused to hand them over citing law and order issues.
The police said all the four bodies were buried at an undisclosed location in Handwara police district, over 100 km from Srinagar.
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