Amidst stir, bodies of two civilians killed in encounter exhumed

Srinagar, Nov 19: The Jammu and Kashmir administration exhumed the bodies of two civilians who were killed in a gunfight on Monday. The bodies were handed over to the families amidst protests in the Valley, the Mayor of Srinagar said.

Altaf Ahmad Bhat and Mudasir Gul were the two businessmen killed along with two terrorists in an encounter in the Hyderpora area of Srinagar. The police said that the two were overground workers although the families said that they were used as human shields. The Families also called the killings as cold blooded murders.

The families said that the bodies were buried without them being present. "Have been informed that the bodies of Altaf Ahmed and Mudasir Gul have been exhumed at Handwara for last rites and burial by families. This is the first step towards ensuring justice is done in this case," Srinagar mayor Junaid Mattu said in a tweet.

"Again under house arrest and PDP's Najmu Saqib and Suhail Bukhari too have been arrested. The pattern of using innocent civilians as human shields and then denying their families the right to a decent burial shows that GOI has plumbed new depths of inhumanity," former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said in a tweet.

Meanwhile a magisterial level inquiry has been ordered into the killings. The administration said that action will be taken as soon as a report is submitted in a time bound manner. The Jammu and Kashmir administration reiterates its commitment of protecting lives of innocent civilians and it will ensure that there is no injustice, the LG of J&K Manoj Sinha said in a tweet.