Two Jammu Kashmir Police Cops Suspended in Gujjar Boy Killing Case

SRINAGAR: Widespread anger and political condemnation have erupted across Jammu and Kashmir after the killing of a 21-year-old Gujjar boy, Mohammad Parvez, during what police initially described as retaliatory firing against drug peddlers in the Sure Chak area on the outskirts of Jammu city. The incident, which occurred on the evening of July 24, has since snowballed into a major political and communal controversy, with charges of a “fake encounter” being levelled against the Jammu and Kashmir Police by the deceased’s family and tribal community leaders.

Amid the uproar, the Jammu district administration has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident, while two police constables from the District Special Branch, Head Constable Baljinder Singh and Selection Grade Constable Pawan Singh, have been suspended pending a departmental probe. The inquiry will be led by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Jammu South, and is expected to be completed within two weeks.

The FIR, registered at Satwari Police Station under Section 109(1) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and Section 3/27 of the Arms Act, remains under investigation, with a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted under SDPO Domana Mudassar Hussain.

Mohammad Parvez, a resident of Niki Tawi and the youngest of 12 siblings, had been married only two months prior. According to his family, Parvez was out with his brother-in-law to buy medicine when he was shot. Later, the family was summoned to the Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu, to identify his body. They insist that he had no criminal record and had no links to drug peddling.

In contrast, the police narrative states that a small team from the Special Branch was fired upon while chasing suspected drug peddlers in the Mandal area. “In the cross-firing, one unidentified person was injured and later died,” police said in a brief statement.

The vagueness of the police version and the absence of any documented criminal link to Parvez have fuelled allegations of a staged encounter. Tribal activist Talib Hussain went so far as to claim that Parvez had been “killed for promotion.” Other Gujjar community leaders described the act as “a targeted killing” aimed at suppressing tribal voices.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah termed the killing “highly unfortunate and deeply regrettable,” urging a transparent and time-bound investigation. “The use of force by police must be calibrated and cannot be indiscriminate. J&K has paid a heavy price in the past because of incidents such as these,” he posted on social media platform X.

The killing of Mohd Parvez of Niki Tawi in Jammu is highly unfortunate & deeply regrettable. Use of force by the police has to be calibrated & cannot be indiscriminate. J&K has paid a heavy price in the past because of incidents such as these. This incident should be investigated…

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) July 25, 2025

Former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti condemned what she described as “a police killing of a tribal youth now labelled as a drug dealer.” She demanded that law enforcement agencies follow due process and not resort to “kangaroo court-style” killings.

Mohammad Parvez a tribal youth was killed by the police at Surat Chak, Police Station in Satwari yesterday. He’s now been labelled as a drug dealer but even that may be the case we still live in a democratic country where justice is served through rule of law as opposed to khap… pic.twitter.com/HYfsinF7d6

— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) July 25, 2025

Javed Ahmad Rana, Cabinet Minister and head of the Tribal Affairs Ministry, called the killing a “murder” and said Parvez was “completely innocent.” In an interview, Rana said he had raised the matter directly with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and demanded accountability “from top to bottom.” He also called for the immediate restoration of statehood, blaming the current imbalance in administrative structures for such incidents.

National Conference MP Mian Altaf Ahmad described the killing as “a broad daylight murder” and called for a fast-track investigation. BJP leader Chowdhary Zulfikar also raised concerns, stating that community members had informed him that the deceased had no links to criminal activity.

Even the Islamic Welfare Organisation issued a strongly worded condemnation, calling the act a “brutal and senseless misuse of power” and demanding a high-level judicial probe.

Under mounting pressure from political leaders and community protests, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has initiated a magisterial inquiry and suspended the two constables involved. A departmental inquiry has also been marked to Dy SP Headquarters, with both officials relocated to District Police Lines and stripped of their field responsibilities.

The administration has announced a compensation package of Rs 35 lakh and a government job for a member of the deceased’s family following discussions with the Gujjar tribal committee.

A few days after the killing, a senior police officer visited the village and termed the slain youth as “martyrs”. He assured the residents of swift action against the people who were behind the killing.