Killing of Gujjar Youth Sparks Political Storm; Minister Points to Systemic Plot

JAMMU: The killing of 21-year-old Mohammad Parvez, a Gujjar youth from the Niki Tawi area on the outskirts of Jammu, has snowballed into a full-blown political crisis in Jammu and Kashmir, with Cabinet Minister Javed Ahmad Rana directly accusing people “sitting in high offices” of orchestrating the incident as part of a targeted campaign against tribal minorities.

“What happened is not just the act of two men who pulled the trigger. This was a conspiracy that goes up the ladder — people in the system, in the bureaucracy, are behind this killing,” Rana, who holds charge of the Jal Shakti, Forest, Ecology and Environment, and Tribal Affairs ministries in Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s cabinet, was quoted as having said by The Indian Express.

Addressing the media after visiting Parvez’s grieving family on Saturday, Rana described the incident as “a murder, not a mishap” and demanded that those behind the scenes—“from top to bottom”—be held accountable. He said the killing reflects a broader pattern of minorities in the plains of Jammu, Samba, Kathua and Udhampur being maligned, harassed, and falsely labelled as drug peddlers under what he termed “a systematic campaign.”

“This is enough and it will not be tolerated now,” Rana said, warning that “the dual power system”, referring to the authority wielded by the office of the Lt Governor, has created administrative imbalance and bred impunity. He urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and ensure tribal voices are safeguarded within the structure of governance.

“I have told the LG Sahib (Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha) also that some people sitting in the system are taking advantage of the dual power system. To hide their failures, they are making unarmed and innocent people the target of bullets,” Rana was quoted saying. He said this dual power structure, minorities in Jammu, Samba, Kathua and Udhampur are (living) under an atmosphere of fear.” He also demanded that the LG immediately transfer all those responsible for the maintenance of law and order in Jammu. “He (the LG) should bring change in the system, right from the bottom to the top, because law and order, as well as the cadre posts, are with him.”

The police had initially claimed that Mohammad Parvez was caught in a crossfire during a pursuit of drug peddlers by a small Special Branch team. However, the family of the deceased has vehemently rejected this version, insisting Parvez had no links to drugs or criminal activity and was simply out with his brother-in-law to buy medicine when he was gunned down.

The case took an even more dramatic turn on Sunday when Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary publicly accused the Special Branch of the Jammu and Kashmir Police of operating like an unruly force. “Who has given this police power to roam in civil dress, kill civilians and shoot young boys?” he asked, after meeting Parvez’s family, as quoted by The Telegraph. “If they don’t like someone’s face, they put two packets in his pocket and call him a drug peddler. The biggest drug racket is being run by the police itself.”

Choudhary’s remarks mark a rare public indictment of law enforcement from within the ruling alliance. He stressed that Jammu and Kashmir “is not a territory for fake encounters,” referring to past incidents that triggered similar unrest and alienation among the tribal communities.

In response to the incident and mounting outrage, the Jammu district administration has ordered a magisterial inquiry, while the police have suspended two Special Branch constables, Head Constable Baljinder Singh and Selection Grade Constable Pawan Singh. The case is being investigated by a Special Investigation Team headed by SDPO Domana, while a departmental inquiry has also been initiated.

Parvez, the youngest of twelve siblings and married only two months ago, was declared dead at GMC Jammu, where the family was called to identify his body. His killing has not only devastated his family but has rattled the broader Gujjar and Bakerwal communities across Jammu and Kashmir.

The Gujjars, who serve as a vital source of human intelligence for the Army and police in forested and mountainous regions, have expressed growing frustration over what they allege is a pattern of abuse, torture, and extrajudicial killings. In recent years, several members of the nomadic community have reportedly been picked up, branded as suspects, or killed in incidents widely seen as staged.

Intelligence agencies have raised red flags over the fallout. “We are seeing a dip in actionable intelligence from the tribal belt,” a senior Army source told The Tribune. “There is growing distrust, and we must act to restore confidence before the security grid itself is weakened.”

This erosion of trust has historical precedence. In December 2023, the custodial killing of three Gujjar youth in Poonch sparked national outrage and led to transfers of senior Army officials. In February this year, a 25-year-old Gujjar man in Kathua allegedly died by suicide following custodial torture. And the wounds of the 2018 Rasana rape-murder case, where political and communal lines were drawn in defence of the accused, remain fresh in the minds of many Gujjars.

Political condemnation has poured in from across the spectrum. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah described Parvez’s death as “highly unfortunate and deeply regrettable” and called for a transparent, time-bound probe. Former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti slammed the police for resorting to “kangaroo court-style justice,” while National Conference MP Mian Altaf Ahmad termed it “a broad daylight murder.”

BJP leader Chowdhary Zulfikar acknowledged community complaints and called for justice, while civil society groups such as the Islamic Welfare Organisation demanded a judicial inquiry into what they called “a brutal misuse of state power.”

Under pressure, the administration has announced a compensation package of Rs 35 lakh and a government job for one of Parvez’s family members. A senior police official visiting the family later described Parvez as “a martyr” and assured villagers of full accountability.

However, these gestures have not quelled public anger. Protests have continued across Gujjar-dominated areas, with tribal leaders demanding three specific actions: the registration of an FIR naming the responsible police officers, time-bound completion of the judicial inquiry, and structural reforms in the police system that they believe has become unaccountable to elected leadership.