SRINAGAR: The bullet-riddled bodies of three youth were recovered from an orchard in Pattan area of North Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Monday. According to police, two of the deceased were militants and rivalry among the militant outfits was suspected behind the killing.
“The bodies were spotted by locals in an orchard in village Shutz Dangerpora on Nihalpora-Wailo road in Pattan in Baramulla district today (Monday),” a police spokesman said. The police rushed to the spot and shifted the bodies to a District Hospital Baramulla for conducting post-mortem and the investigation is on, he said.
A police spokesman said two of the deceased have been identified so far and both are militants. They have been identified as Ashiq Ahmed Wani of Lolipora, Pattan and Amir Ahmed Reshi of Imbarzalwari Payeen Hardshiva, Sopore.
“Ashiq was an active militant of Hizbul Mujahideen and had joined the outfit in June 2104. However, of late he had aligned himself with the Lashkar-e-Islam, a breakaway group of Hizbul led by its former top commander Qayoom Najar,” the police spokesman said.
He said Amir had gone missing two months ago and the police had also lodged a missing report in this regard. “Reportedly, he had also joined militant ranks,” the spokesman said.
Police sources said they suspect that both Ashiq and Amir were aligned with Lashkar-e-Islam and were killed by rival militant groups.
“We suspect that the trio may have been killed by Lashkar-e-Toiba or Hizbul Mujahideen. We cannot say anything with surety as investigation is on,” they said.
A doctor from District Hospital, Baramulla, said the three youth, aged between 20-25, had multiple bullet injuries in their bodies.
The recovery of bodies triggered panic and clashes in the area with people alleging that the trio had been tortured and killed. They also demanded an inquiry into the killings.
The area observed a complete shutdown on Monday.
Meanwhile, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) general secretary Rafi Ahmad Mir, National Conference working president and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and state Congress president G A Mir asked the police to conduct an early probe into the incident.