Sheikh Hilal
TRAL
The family of the civilian killed by army in deep woods of Tral on Monday said “their son was running a medical lab” — thus rebuffing the army version: “The slain youth killed in an anti-militancy operation in Tral was an Over Ground Worker (OGW) of Hizbul Mujahideen.”
Khalid Muzaffar Wani, a brother of Hizb Commander, Burhan Wani was earlier running a bookshop before shifting to medical lab, as per his family.
“My son was innocent,” said Muzaffar Wani, Khalid’s father. “He had nothing to do with militancy. He was killed in a fake encounter.”
The grieving father, who is a school principal, said there was no bullet wound on the body of his son.
“He was tortured to death,” he said. “He was repeatedly thrashed with gun butts, which broke his shoulder bones. My son’s face was badly mutilated and his eyes were also damaged.”
Khalid was killed in Buchoo forest area — where according to police — he had gone to meet with his militant brother, Burhan.
Army in its defence said that one soldier suffered gunshot wound in an encounter in Tral on Monday.
“The fire fight ensued with militants,” the army said. “Once the firing subsided, search of the area was undertaken from which a body along with two AK 47 rifles and war-like stores were recovered from the site.”
The body, army said, was identified “to be of listed as Over Ground Worker (OGW) Khalid Wani, brother of Burhan, Hizbul Mujahideen Commander, South Kashmir.”
But Wani refuted the army version saying his son had nothing to do with militancy. “He was simply running a medical Lab,” he said.
Meanwhile, Army claimed to have recovered “two AK 47 rifles, four AK 47 Magazines, 150 Amn AK 47, two pouches, one rucksack, four dummy patka, two phiron, four Mobiles, two Combat cloth, two Civil Trouser, one Civil Jacket, two Civil T shirt, one Sando vest, one tiffin with cooked mutton, one plastic bottle, one Dry fruit packet, one belt and five shoes at an encounter site.”
