Srinagar: Mehbooba Mufti, the president of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and a former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, said on Friday that security forces working in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir must be held accountable for genuine complaints.
In a tweet, the former chief minister said that gunfights happen on a daily basis in Jammu and Kashmir, but that doesn’t mean security forces shouldn’t be held accountable. She cited the claim of a family in southern Kashmir’s Kulgam district that their slain son was an innocent civilian and not a militant.
“Encounters occur on a daily basis in J&K but when legitimate questions are raised, the security forces must be held accountable,” Mehbooba tweeted, adding that the parents of the 17-year-old juvenile slain in the Kulgam shootout believe he was an innocent civilian.
She said, “The Indian government must address these allegations.” A news article from a local magazine regarding the aggrieved family’s allegation was also quoted by the PDP leader.
Meanwhile, the family’s accusations have been rejected by Kulgam Police.
Inspector General of Police Vijay Kumar said that all the killed militants were affiliated with the proscribed Lashkar-e-Taiba terror group. He added that Zakir Bashir had recently joined the proscribed outfit. (KNT)
