The death of a 21-year-old tribal man in police firing on the outskirts of Jammu city has led to protests by his family and strong condemnations from J&K’s top political leadership on Friday.
Identified as Mohammad Parvez of Niki Tawi area, he died Thursday after sustaining a bullet injury in the Phallian Mandal area.
Police claimed on Thursday that a small police team were fired upon by drug peddlers and that when they fired back, “one unknown person got injured”. Sources later said the injured man had succumbed.
On Friday, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah described the incident as “highly unfortunate and deeply regrettable”.
“The use of force by the police has to be calibrated and cannot be indiscriminate,” Omar Abdullah wrote in a post on X, adding, “J&K has paid a heavy price in the past because of incidents such as these… This incident should be investigated in a transparent and time bound manner. I send my condolences to the family of Mohd Parvez. May Allah grant him Jannat.”
Former chief minister and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti also took to X, saying, “Mohammad Parvez, a tribal youth, was killed by the police… He’s now been labelled a drug dealer, but even if that is the case, we still live in a democratic country where justice is served through rule of law as opposed to khap panchayats or kangaroo courts.”
“Sincerely hope the DG takes cognisance of this shocking incident by ordering a time bound impartial probe. We must not descend or condone a culture of extra judicial encounters because that’s precisely what alienates people,” she said.
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National Conference MP from Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency Mian Altaf Ahmed, too, expressed his anguish and grief over the death of Parvez.
“I strongly condemn the killing of a youth, Mohd Parvez, resident of Niki Tawi, in police firing in Jammu yesterday. It is a broad daylight murder. A fast track investigation should be done and strict action (must be taken) against officials involved. My solidarity and sympathy with the victim’s family,” he said.
On Thursday evening, the police had said, “A small police team was chasing suspected drug pedlars, and as per preliminary reports, the party was fired upon in the general area of Mandal under Police Station Satwari, and in cross-firing, one unknown person got injured and has been shifted to GMC Jammu.” They also said that senior police officers reached the spot and that further investigation was going on.
Sources said that later, the youth succumbed to his injuries, leading to protests by his family members and relatives within the hospital premises the same night.
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On Friday morning, a delegation comprising some relatives of the man and community elders met senior police officers, and following talks, took the body from the hospital’s mortuary. His last rites were conducted by his family on Friday evening.
During the protest at the hospital, one of the family members had told reporters that Parvez had just recently got married, that he was never linked to drug pedlars, and that he had no criminal record.
