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Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday reacted to the Ganderbal encounter, raising questions over the control of law and order in the Union Territory.
Speaking to reporters here, referring to Jammu and Kashmir's status as a Union Territory, he said that it cannot be ignored while discussing issues related to security and governance. He questioned whether matters such as AFSPA indicate that law and order are not fully under the elected government. "How can we ignore the fact that today we are a Union Territory. Does the matter of AFSPA mean that law and order are not even in the hands of the elected government?" Abdullah said. He added that the Lieutenant Governor has ordered an immediate investigation into the incident and assured that the findings will be made public. "The Lieutenant Governor immediately ordered an investigation. The report will be placed before everyone. Our effort should be that such incidents do not happen, but where such a thing does happen, there should be no attempt to hide or suppress it," he said. The Chief Minister emphasised the need for accountability and transparency, stating that steps must be taken to prevent such incidents in the future. Earlier on April 3, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha ordered a magisterial inquiry into a recent encounter in the Arhama area of Ganderbal district that resulted in the death of Raashid Ahmad Mughal, a resident of Chuntwaliwar Lar. The official order, issued by the Home Department, follows an overnight security operation on April 1, which reported one "terrorist" eliminated by security forces during a cordon-and-search operation in the Arhama area of the Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has directed that the probe be "thorough and impartial" to ascertain the specific facts and circumstances surrounding the incident that led to the death. The move comes amid speculation surrounding Mughal's link to terrorism. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also called for transparency, citing the claims from the deceased's family. "I believe the claim of the family should not be dismissed out of hand. At the very least, this encounter needs a transparent & time bound probe with the facts made public. Any attempt to obfuscate or delay the announcement of a probe will only damage credibility & that is not in anyone's interest," the CM wrote on X. (ANI)
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