Protests erupted in north Kashmir’s Handwara on Wednesday night following official confirmation that a person killed during a gunfight between militants and security forces in the area on Tuesday was a civilian, IANS reported
The deceased, identified as Shahid Ahmad Mir, was reportedly a student at Handwara’s Government Degree College.
The security sources had earlier claimed that Mir was a militant, but the protesters insisted he was innocent and was killed in a stage-managed “encounter.”
SP Vaid, director general of state police, said, “Yes, [the man killed] was a civilian. According to the family, he was missing for a few days now. How was he present in the jungle where the gun battle was going is to be investigated. We are looking into the matter.”
Markets and educational institutions remained closed in the town in protest against the killing, and the protesters demanded that a case be registered against the security forces involved in the killing.