3 min readApr 4, 2026 11:47 AM IST
The killing of Ganderbal resident Rashid Ahmad Mughal in an Army encounter on Tuesday night found an echo in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Saturday as members from the Treasury and Opposition Benches, barring the BJP, demanded a judicial enquiry into the incident.
While the Army said they had eliminated a terrorist during the encounter, which took place in Arhama forests on Tuesday night, the family claims he had no terror links. On Friday, the Jammu and Kashmir Home Department, which falls under Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, ordered a magisterial inquiry into the encounter.
As the House assembled in the morning, Mubarak Gul of the National Conference stood up to draw the attention of Speaker A R Rather towards the incident. “This is an unfortunate incident; an innocent youth has been killed,” Gul said.
As the Speaker responded that an enquiry had already been ordered, Gul sought a statement from him so that a strong message would be sent to the concerned authorities that such incidents would not be tolerated. He also sought strong action against those found guilty.
His party colleague and retired Justice Hasnain Masoodi said that the body of the youth was been handed over to the family. “A decent burial is a right guaranteed under the Constitution,” he said.
Mir Saifullah, also from the NC, demanded a time-bound inquiry.
Nizamuddin Bhat of the Congress said that a magisterial inquiry would not suffice and demanded a judicial inquiry into the matter.
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Irfan Hafiz Lone of the Congress and Waheed Parra of the PDP were also seen standing to protest against the incident. Lone was seen carrying a placard seeking a hearing for the “Ganderbal family”.
Posting the order issued by the Home Department on the Lok Bhawan X handle on Friday, the L-G had said, “I have ordered a thorough and impartial magisterial inquiry into the Arhama, Ganderbal incident. The inquiry will examine all aspects related to the incident and ensure that justice is served.”
The Home Department order directs the District Magistrate Ganderbal to complete the inquiry within seven days.
The Army had said in a statement on Wednesday that a terrorist was killed after suspicious movement was observed in the area. However, the identity of the deceased was not released.
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On Thursday, the family of Rashid Ahmad Mughal claimed that he had “no links to militancy”. His brother, Ajaz Ahmad Mughal, had told The Indian Express that Rashid was an M.Com degree holder who helped villagers with documentation work for a nominal fee. Two former panchayat members from the village had confirmed this.
