National Conference, Congress seek ‘decent burial’ of man killed in Ganderbal encounter | India News
Srinagar: Governing National Conference MLAs and Congress J&K raised the Ganderbal encounter in the Assembly on Saturday, demanding that the body of a local man killed in the operation be handed over to his family for an “honorable burial”.LG Manoj Sinha on Friday ordered a magisterial probe into the encounter after the family of the victim, Rashid Ahmed Mughal, disputed the Army’s statement on the encounter, which said an unidentified terrorist was killed in an operation in Arhama area on the night of March 31. Investigation is wanted.Raising the issue, NC member and retired High Court judge Hasnain Masudi said: “The right to a decent burial is a constitutionally recognized right. Under Article 21, the family has the right to perform last rites. Even after the investigation, the body should be returned to the family.”Bandipora’s Congress MLA, Nizamuddin Bhat, has sought a judicial inquiry, saying an administrative inquiry is not enough. “The first right of the victim is a decent burial and that should be respected,” he said.Another NC MLA Mubarak Gul said the assembly should condemn the incident. “In the first instance, this should not have happened. Now that it has happened, the House should express its concern,” he said. NC MLA from Kupwara Mir Saifullah demanded a government statement on the incident.Since 2019, authorities have buried terrorists killed in encounters in designated cemeteries in north Kashmir, including Kupwara and Uri, instead of returning bodies to families, citing concerns over large funeral gatherings.
