SRINAGAR: Father of one of the alleged militants, killed in the Hyderpora encounter, has vowed to continue the struggle till the time the dead body of his son is not returned. He had visited police in Srinagar but was refused the mortal remains of his slain son, Amir Ahmad Magray.
Magray was conferred the bravery award in 2014 for his August 2005 action in which he killed a militant who had intruded into his home with the intention to kill him. Ever since he is living under security, initially as a migrant in Udhampur and now at his ancestral Gool village. Police’s IRP unit is offering his home round the clock security in his Thatharka village.
A resident of Gool, area of Ramban, Mohammad Lateef Magray said that he got to know about the killing of his son, the next day in the morning.
“I heard at 9 am that my son has been killed by police and army,” Magray told reporters after his return from Srinagar, empty-handed.
He said that his son had gone to work five-six months ago to Srinagar, prior to which he had done a two-year moulvi course in Bandipora followed by two further years of study at the famous Deoband seminary. Then the Covid19 lockdown imposed restrictions on the movement of the people so his son returned home.
Questioning the veracity of his son being labelled a militant, he said, he had himself killed a militant with stone while his cousin was killed by the insurgents.
“I have killed a militant with stones, received bullets myself,” Magray said. “My cousin was killed by them. We were forced to flee from our homes.”
“An Indian who killed a militant with a stone, his son is labelled a militant and killed by pumping bullets into him. And, then even his body is not returned,” Magray regretted. “What kind of justice is this?”
He said that he had raised his kids with great caution and care upon fleeing from their home. He had spent almost 11 years as a migrant in Udhampur after killing a militant in August 2005. “After we fled from our homes, we were provided security. We still have security.”
In the August 6, 2005 fight with the militant, Yasir Bhat, he lost his cousin Abdul Qayoom as Lateef personally survived injured along with his sister, Ruqaya. Yasir Bhat got killed when Lateef hit his head with a stone. This act led to his nomination for the bravery award by the Jammu and Kashmir government in 2012 and was eventually conferred upon him in 2014 by the governor, N N Vohra in Srinagar. After his return home, he lives in security.
“Tomorrow, that security will label me as a militant and kill me too,” he said.
He said that Police did not allow them to see the face of his son. The PHE employee had set off from his home with his brothers and the sarpanch of the area.
“The Police officials said that they have already buried him and his dead body won’t be given back. We were not even shown his face.”
“We were only shown a photograph of his identity card. How did they bury him without us?” he questioned.
Magray vowed to struggle till the time the dead body of his son is returned. He also appealed to the lieutenant governor to return the body. He said, “I appeal the Governor to please give me the dead body of my son so that we are able to perform his last rites and give him a proper burial.”
