‘Gowhar died of Bullet not of Tear Gas Shell,’ Claims Family

Riyaz Ul Khaliq

KL NEWS NETWORK

SRINAGAR

The family of the slain HMT youth denied that their son, Gowhar Nazir, was killed by a tear smoke shell. It was a bullet, they claim.

Speaking to Kashmir Life, uncle of Gowhar (22), Muhammad Yusuf Dar said, “Gowhar died when he was hit by a bullet not by a tear gas shell as was reported. “It was a target killing,” he alleged.

Dar while narrating the events which led to death of Gowhar said, “yesterday we had a marriage ceremony near SICOP in HMT area and there was minor stone pelting which stopped due to intervention by elders.”

Alleging that CRPF personnel are drunk in the night, Dar said, “every morning they throw these bottles on road and youth are agitated. They use that debris of bottles and throw them back at the personnel.”

He further said, “in the evening, around 5:15, when everything was normal, CRPF personnel stationed one of their vehicles near Jamia Masjid Ahl Hadees facing towards HMT. They had caught hold of some person (who is mentally retarded) and meanwhile Gowhar was scaling the slope around the Masjid towards HMT when one of the CRPF personnel standing their shot him dead. He fired bullet not tear gas shell.”

Dar, who is eldest uncle of Gowhar said, “when we came to know about the incident, we rushed him to JVC hospital wherefrom he was referred to SKIMS.”

Quoting the doctor who attended upon Gowhar, Dar said, “the doctor told us the bullet is still inside skull of Gowhar and he was shot on his left side of head.” “It is visible from the photos that his face is clear. In case he was hit by a Tear Gas Shell, it would have meant burn injuries to him which were not there,” he said.

When contacted, authoritative sources from SKIMS Soura said, “Gowhar was brought dead in the hospital. The accident file has mentioned: injuries due to Tear Gas Shell/Bullet.”

Gowhar is survived by two brothers and two sisters while his father manages a workshop and his mother a homemaker.

“The forces have been shelling tear gas all day. Remains of the shells are atop the tent where mourners are sitting,” Dar said.

Gowhar was in his last semester of computer engineering at SSM College of Engineering and Technology.