Two months after G’bal Encounter, Rashid Mughal’s body handed over to family

Srinagar: Authorities have handed over the body of 30-year-old Rashid Mughal to his family for last rites, nearly two-and-a-half months after he was killed in an encounter in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district and identified as a “terrorist” by the Army.
Family members said the body was exhumed last week from a graveyard in north Kashmir, where he had been buried following the April encounter, before being returned to the family.
“We buried him in our native village after the body was handed over to us,” a family member said.
The encounter had sparked widespread controversy after Rashid’s family, residents of Chountwaliwar in Ganderbal, rejected official claims that he was a terrorist and maintained that he had no links to any terror outfit.
While the Army had said a terrorist was killed during the operation, it did not disclose the identity or affiliation of the slain individual. The Jammu and Kashmir Police also remained silent on the matter and issued no statement from the start of the operation.
The family asserted that Rashid was innocent and demanded an impartial investigation into the circumstances surrounding his killing.
J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha ordered a thorough and impartial magisterial inquiry into the encounter.
The findings of the probe, however, are yet to be made public.
The incident drew political attention, with J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah calling for a transparent and time-bound probe, warning that any attempt to delay or obscure the investigation would undermine public trust.