Kulgam youth's death sparks outrage, demands of judicial probe

Srinagar, May 5: The death of a 23-year-old man from south Kashmir’s Kulgam district has triggered outrage, prompting senior political leaders including former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and cabinet minister Sakina Itoo to demand a judicial probe into the incident. The deceased, Imtiyaz Ahmad Magray, a daily wage labourer from the Adigam area of Kulgam, was found dead in the Vishaw Nalla on Saturday, two days after his alleged detention by security forces.

According to a senior police official, Magray died by suicide while accompanying a search party during a counterinsurgency operation. Police said that Magray had volunteered intelligence about a terrorist hideout suspected to be sheltering two Pakistani terrorists. He was taken to the site under drone surveillance near the Vishaw Nalla early Saturday morning. “While approaching the location, he suddenly jumped into the river and drowned. His actions appeared to be an attempt to escape using the river route,” police said. Police also said that Magray had earlier provided actionable intelligence that led to the successful busting of a terrorist hideout in the Tangmarg forest on April 23.

However, residents of Adigam village and the family of the deceased strongly contest the police version. They allege that Magray was picked up by security forces two days prior to the recovery of his body. “He was taken away in front of villagers. We tried to inquire, but no one told us where he was. Now his body has turned up in a river,” said a relative of the deceased. The family, who are from an economically underprivileged background, is demanding answers and accountability.

Former Chief Minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti expressed deep concern over the incident, questioning the credibility of the official narrative. “Yet another body recovered from a river in Kulgam raises serious allegations of foul play. Residents claim that Imtiyaz Magray was picked up by security forces two days ago.

His mysterious death needs to be investigated impartially,” she wrote on twitter.

She linked the incident to broader concerns about the alleged misuse of security operations in Kashmir, especially following the recent terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 25 tourists and a local man. “Terror incidents are being used to justify arbitrary arrests and harassment. Allegations surrounding this death and the recent Bandipora encounter must not go unexamined,” she added.

Cabinet Minister and National Conference leader Sakina Itoo also visited the bereaved family and called for a judicial inquiry into the circumstances of Magray’s death.

“Imtiyaz was a poor laborer who had returned home from outside the Valley just 15 days ago. The family and the entire locality are terrified. This case needs to be investigated thoroughly and transparently. The family deserves justice,” Itoo told reporters. She also emphasised that there is no known record of Magray being involved in any terror activity and that the allegations against him appear unsubstantiated.

Meanwhile, District Development Council ( DDC) member Manzgam Choudhary Jameela told Greater Kashmir that the family of the victim visited her residence on May 3 and informed her that their son had been picked up by security forces. "I called the nearby police station and the SDPO's office. I was told that the police had not detained him," said the DDC member. She added that the family called her at 3 pm and informed her that he had been taken to an army camp in Behibagh, where they were also able to meet him. "Later, the family said they spoke to him over the phone again and he was fine," Jameela said. She said that in the evening, the news of his death spread.

Senior CPI(M) leader and MLA Kulgam, Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami has also demanded a probe into the incident. "The mysterious death of Imtiyaz Ahmad Magray, whose body was recovered from a stream in Kulgam, has raised serious questions with his family alleging that he was picked up by the Army a few days earlier", he wrote on X. He called for a thorough and impartial investigation to establish the circumstances that led to the youth’s death.