Kashmir, 12 March 2019: The mastermind of the February 14 Pulwama attack, which claimed the lives of 40 CRPF personnel, has been killed in an encounter in south Kashmir's Tral area, alleged Indian officials on Monday.
Mudasir Ahmed Khan was one of the two Kashmiri separatists killed by Indian security forces in Tral's Pinglish area in a gun battle that started Sunday evening and went on till the early hours of Monday, alleged the officials.
The body of the second militant has not been identified yet, said the officials, who had earlier claimed he was Sajjad Bhat, a JeM operative whose car was used in the Pulwama attack.
Bhat's brother refused to take the body, saying it was charred beyond recognition. Khan's body has been taken by his family members, the Indian officials said.
Khan was the "main conspirator" of the attack on the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy in Pulwama, Lt General Kanwal Jeet Singh Dhillon, General Officer Commanding, XV Corps, said at a hurriedly called joint press conference by the Army, state police and the paramilitary force.
CRPF Inspector General (Operations) in Jammu and Kashmir, Zulfiqar Hasan said,"Mudasir Ahmed Khan, alias 'Mohd Bhai', was among the two militants killed in the encounter in Tral's Pinglish area in Pulwama district."
Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Range, Swayam Prakash Pani said some material was found from their hideout and it will be shared with the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is probing the Pulwama attack.
Khan is also believed to be involved in the strike at the Army camp in Sunjawan in February 2018, in which six army personnel and a civilian were killed, alleged the Indian officials.
Independent bodies have yet to confirm whether killed were separatists.
Human rights organisations have claimed constant human rights abuses in Jammu and Kashmir, a disputed territory administered by India, including mass killings, forced disappearances, torture, rape and sexual abuse to political repression and suppression of freedom of speech.
UN human rights report on Kashmir in June 2018 has called for international inquiry into ongoing human rights violations and abuses in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to Rights Groups referred in Wikipedia; about “100,000 people have died since 1989 while the official figures from Indian sources state the estimates of number of civilians killed due to the insurgency in the range of 16,725 to 47,000”
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) recently adopted a resolution on Jammu and Kashmir, condemning the “atrocities and human rights violations” in the state,
The resolution on Kashmir used phrases such as “Indian terrorism” and “mass blindings” by Indian security forces on protesting youth.
