Srinagar: Father of minor killed in alleged Srinagar gunfight has appealed the public to assemble at the grave of his son that he has dug in his native village in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.
In a video message that is viral on social media, Mushtaq Ahmad Wani requested people to arrive at the graveyard with a black cloth as a mark of protest against the state, “I appeal people to assemble at the graveyard on 19th January, where I have dug the grave of my son, I have to say something important to you on that day,”
“I am going to fight against injustice till the end. Tomorrow it is you who has to answer before Allah whether you stood against oppression or not. On 19th January, I am requesting media personnel to cover the event as I have to say something important,” Wani can be heard as saying in the video.
He further requested the Lieutenant governor to investigate the Srinagar gunfight, “I request and beg the governor through this video to investigate the case, he (LG) is an upright man, I am hopeful that he will do it.”
In the over five minute video, Wani further says, “Unfortunately three innocents were killed, out of whom two are children of police personnel. I appeal the police to raise their voice against the oppressors, for the sake of humanity we have to raise against tyranny and oppression so that the oppressors are punished.”
He also thanked media for amplifying his voice, ” I am thankful to those journalists who amplified my voice all across the world,” he says.
On 30 December 2020, the government forces killed three persons, who were later identified by their families as “innocent civilians”: Wani, an eleventh standard student from Bellow, Aijaz Ganaie, a graduate from Putrigam, both in Pulwama district, and Zubair Lone, a carpenter from Turkwangam from Shopian.
On the day gunfight concluded, the Army’s General Officer Commanding (GoC) of Kilo Force, H. S. Sahi, said: “With the first light the firefight again resumed and militants used heavy ammunition against security forces.” Sahi claimed that the “three militants killed in the gunfight at Lawaypora on Srinagar outskirts were planning a big strike”. However, after the photographs of the bodies went viral on social media, three families from south Kashmir claimed the killed trio and vouched for their innocence.
Earlier, in a statement, the police claimed that “background check also reveals that Aijaz and Ather Mushtaq, both OGWs [Over ground workers] variously provided logistic support to terrorists”.
“Antecedents and verifications too show that both were radically inclined and had aided terrorists of LeT (now so-called TRF) outfit. [sic] One of OGW presently under police custody has also corroborated Aijaz’s association with LeT terrorist Faisal Mustaq Baba who was killed in Meej (Pampore) encounter in June last year,” the statement added.
