J-K CM Omar lauds LG Sinha for Ganderbal encounter probe

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday lauded Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for promptly ordering a probe into allegations that an encounter in Ganderbal was staged, asserting that transparency and truth must prevail in such sensitive cases.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event here, CM Omar said the administration acted swiftly without attempting to suppress the issue.

“The good thing is that there was no attempt to hide anything. The honourable LG promptly accepted our request for a time-bound and transparent probe into the incident,” he said.

The development follows an encounter in the Arhama forests of Ganderbal on March 31, in which the Army had claimed that the man killed was a terrorist.

However, the family of the deceased – identified as Rashid Ahmad Mughal, a resident of Ganderbal – has strongly refuted the claim, alleging that the encounter was fake and demanding that his body be returned for proper burial.

Taking note of the allegations, the LG ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident.

CM Omar said the probe was already underway and is expected to be completed within a week.

“The inquiry is going on. Once they complete it, the report will be made public. Our primary focus should be to avoid such incidents. But if it happens, the truth should not be hidden. People should be told the truth,” he said.

On whether such incidents raise concerns over the continuation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Jammu and Kashmir, the CM pointed out the limitations of the elected government under the current UT framework.

“Forget AFSPA, even the law and order does not fall in our jurisdiction at the moment,” he said, indicating that such matters remain under the domain of the central administration.

Responding to another query, CM Omar said that incidents like encounters inevitably raise questions about the claims of normalcy in the region.

“Recently, two Pakistani militants were killed. Questions will arise as to how they came inside. Such things should not happen in a normal situation,” he said.

The CM emphasised that while security challenges persist, transparency in handling such incidents is crucial to maintaining public trust and accountability.