South Kashmir families waiting for exhumation of bodies accuse police of using dilly dally tactics

Srinagar: Two families from southern Kashmir Monday alleged that despite the directions from district authorities, police have been using dilly dally tactics in exhuming the bodies of their loved one.
Mudasir Ahmad, a government school teacher of Parigam village of Kulgam and Sheraz Ahmad Sheikh of Lajura Pulwama as per their family members were two of the five militants killed by army in an encounter near eagle post at Tanghdar sector in Kupwara on May 25. The family members of Mudasir and Shiraz own these militants whom authorities have buried in frontier Tangdhar area.
“We have identified both Mudasir and Shiraz. We have completed all the formalities but don’t know why police have been using dilly dally tactics and asking us to wait for some more days,” said Shabir Ahmed, the brother of slain Mudasir Ahmed said.
Muhammad Yakub Sheikh, the uncle of another slain militant said that they have been in Tanghdar from past two days waiting for the exhumation of these two bodies for identification. “Police showed us photographs of slain militants taken moments before their burial. We identified them and they are Mudasir and Shiraz. When we have identified them and they are our family members, then this delay for what,” he questioned.
District Development Commissioner Kupwara, Khalid Jahangir said that they are waiting for the police report.
A police official said that they will go for DNA matching of slain militants with their families.
Meanwhile, people in both Lajura and Parigam held protests and demanded that the bodies be handed over to them.
Amid a complete shutdown, clashes broke out in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Monday against the killing of an alleged local militant in north Kashmir’s Tanghdar sector on May 25.