Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Nov 19: The normal life remained disrupted today due to shutdown across Kashmir against the civilian killings in the Hyderpora encounter while bodies of the two civilians that were exhumed last evening were buried at midnight.
The shutdown affected normal life across the Valley. In Srinagar shops, business establishments and private institutions remained shut for the day. The traffic movement on the roads was thin.
The shutdown was observed in all Kashmir districts. The shutdown was called by Hurriyat Conference and Bar Association.
After widespread outrage across Kashmir over the killings and their burial by the Police in a remote North Kashmir village, the bodies of building owner Altaf Ahmed Bhat of Barzulla and Dr Mudasir Gul of Rawalpora area of Srinagar were exhumed after two days from a graveyard in Handwara area of northern district of Kupwara and were buried at mid night after police handed them to their families.
After hectic deliberations and the resentment shown by families of slain, mainstream leaders and civil society activists, LG Manoj Sinha directed police to exhume the bodies.
The bodies were exhumed last evening in presence of the police and other officials from the administration from a graveyard at Handwara amid tight security cover. They were then shifted to Srinagar and handed over to the families who buried them at mid night and limited numbers of people were allowed to participate in the last rites to avoid law and order problem.
A pall of gloom descended on the families afresh with children of Altaf crying in pain and grief after seeing their father last time. Similar scenes were witnessed at the house of Dr Mudasir when his wife saw her husband for the last time.
Altaf was laid to rest at a local graveyard in old-Barzulla while Dr Mudasir was buried at a graveyard in Pir Bagh area of Srinagar.
In the meantime, the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), has written a letter to President Ram Nath Kovind with regard to Hyderpora incident, urging him to ensure that involved erring officials are brought to book and punished under law.
The PAGD, in the letter, said the tragic incident that took place at Hyderpora, Srinagar on the evening of 15th November, 2021 has evoked enormous pubic anger.
“In this unfortunate incident, three civilians got killed in suspicious circumstances. The incident calls for a time-bound Judicial probe so that true facts are unraveled and brought in public domain. Needles to state that such unfortunate incidents widen the gulf between the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the Government of India and, therefore, are to be avoided at any cost.”
“We would remind you that the administration of Jammu and Kashmir is being run in the name of the President with the Lt. Governor acting as an agent and, therefore an onerous responsibility is placed on you to ensure that the rule of law prevails and the involved erring officials are brought to book and punished under law,” it added.
“We would also bring to your notice the practice of taking away bodies of the victims of such incidents and depriving their families of the right to organize their burial in accordance with religious practices. In the unfortunate incident of Hyderpora also, the bodies of three civilians have been taken away by the security forces and reportedly buried 100 KM away from their residences. The right to decent burial is well recognized in the Constitution of India as well as in the international humanitarian law.
“The dead bodies cannot be denied the right to burial under any circumstances including the so-called law and order problem. The bereaved families likewise also have a right to organize burial of the dead body in accordance with their religious practices. In previous few years such rights have been violated with impunity. In the present case these rights are being denied.
“We would request you to intervene in the matter and ensure that the dead bodies are returned to their families so that they can perform their last rites in accordance with their respective religious practices.
“The matter is of grave concern and calls for an urgent action,” the letter further read.
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