Bereaved family members of a victim, who was killed during a cross-firing with police, mourn outside the mortuary of a hospital, in Jammu. File.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Facing an uproar over the killing of a 21-year-old civilian, the J&K Police on Sunday (July 27, 2025) seized the service rifle of one of the two suspended policemen. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) also visited the crime scene to look for clues.
Officials said the SIT, headed by a Deputy Superintendent of Police-rank officer, visited the site in Satwari where the incident took place on July 24. Several locals who live near the shoot-out site were also questioned and their statements were recorded. The area was also searched for clues like bullet shells etc.
Head constable Baljinder Singh and Constable Pawan Singh, who were placed under-suspension pending the inquiry, were also taken to the incident site. Officials said one service rifle was also seized as part of the investigation. The two-wheeler, carrying the victim and his relative on July 24, was also taken into custody. The police also tried to piece together the sequence of events to establish the circumstances under which the youth got killed, officials said.
The victim, Mohammad Parvez (21) a resident of Javed Nagar, Nikki Tawi, suffered bullet injuries and died at Surey Chak area in Jammu’s Satwari amid conflicting reports. The J&K Police said the policemen were chasing drug peddlers in the area and the victim died in a shoot-out. The family accused the police of “a fake encounter”.
In the face of public protests, the J&K government also ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident. The Magistrate was directed to “ensure a fair and impartial examination of the facts and circumstances leading to the incident.”
Meanwhile, J&K Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Sunday visited the residence of the victim. He also termed the incident as “daylight murder by men in civvies”.
“What is this special branch of the police that moves around in civvies and fires at a youth? Is it a special branch or goonda gang? The Senior Superintendent of Police, Jammu, who is in-charge of the special branch, need to answer,” Mr. Choudhary said.
He said the J&K Police comes under Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and not the Omar Abdullah government. “The J&K Police was known for wiping out terrorism and not acting against civilians. The Omar Abdullah government will not accept this,” the Deputy Chief Minister said.
Mr. Choudhary also asked the police to fulfil the promises made to the family. “The police officials describing the youth as a martyr is not sufficient for the family. The promises of Rs. 35 lakhs as compensation and a job to the family member need to be fulfilled soon. We also need to know how and why was the youth killed? It’s not an ordinary incident,” he added.
The victim belongs to the Gujjar community and the death shook the community who lives in parts of the Jammu region. “The youth were running an ‘akhada’ [wrestling ground] to keep local youth away from drugs. The same youth are being accused of drug peddling,” the Deputy Chief Minister said.
Published – July 28, 2025 12:51 am IST
