Three days after a civilian was among the people killed in Pinglena village of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, the state human rights commission (SHRC) on Thursday sought report from authorities into the incident.
A gunfight in the village had left four army men, a policeman and three militants dead.
The civilian, Mushtaq Ahmad Sofi, also lost his life in the incident.
Taking cognizance of the civilian killing, the commission sought report from deputy commissioner Pulwama and SSP Pulwama.
The petition in the incident was filed by rights activist Ahsan Untoo.
In his petition before the commission, the petitioner demanded enquiry into the civilian killing and also compensation to the next of his kin.
“In the dead of the night as per the police version a civilian named Mushtaq Ahmad Sofi died in the exchange of fire between militants and security forces. As per the statement of witnesses in the area the civilian …was killed in cold blood in his house,” reads the petition.
The petitioner also stated the deceased aged 46 years was sole bread earner for his family.
The petitioner said that forces “also burnt residential houses in the area due to the damage suffered by them”.
“As per the statement of witnesses security forces have killed the militants in open fields and on the road side, but due to the damage suffered by security forces, (they) burnt the residential houses and fired mortar and other lethal weapons towards the residential houses,” mentions the petition.
The petitioner also mentioned before the commission that the gunfight left residential houses belonging to Mohammad Abdullah Hajam, Mohammad Yousuf Hajam, Ali Mohammad Bhat completely destroyed and two other residential houses partially damaged.
“The owners of the residential (houses) who were destroyed by the mortar shelling also don’t have any support to build their residential houses,” reads the petition.