SRINAGAR — Amid allegations that his body was found in a river after he was
picked up by the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district,
official sources said on Monday that 23-year old Imtiyaz Ahmad Magray had
jumped into the river after he was taken to identify the terrorist hideout.
Police sources said that Imtiyaz Ahmad Magray, 23, had
given food and shelter to terrorists in Kulgam district, and he drowned after
he jumped into a river while escaping from the security forces.
Sources said that a video taken from high ground shows
the man, Imtiyaz Ahmad Magray, suddenly jumping into the rocky river after
scanning the forested area briefly.
Magray was picked up by the police on Saturday. Police
sources said that during questioning, he told police that he gave food and
logistics support to terrorists hiding in the forest in Kulgam's Tangmarg.
“The accused agreed to lead the security forces to the
terrorists' hideout. On Sunday morning, while leading a joint team of the
police and the Army to raid the hideout, Magray, in a bid to flee, jumped into
the Veshaw River.
“The moment of his escape was also captured on camera.
There was no one near him when he decided to bolt. The video showed the man
trying to swim, but the strong current carried him away, and he drowned. The
entire sequence of events was captured on camera.
“The security forces have condemned those who are
spreading misinformation about the incident. The security forces should not be
wrongly blamed for the man's unfortunate death,” sources said.
Earlier on Sunday, National Conference (NC) MP, Aga Syed
Ruhullah Mehdi, had demanded a probe into the death of the youth, alleging that
‘Kashmiris cannot be treated as collateral damage after the Pahalgam terrorist
attack’.
The MP also ‘warned against treating Kashmiris as
collateral damage and counter terrorism measures getting reflected as
collective punishment in the aftermath of last month's Pahalgam terror attack’.
People's Democratic Party (PDP) president and former Chief
Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, alleged a conspiracy in the death of Imtiyaz Ahmad
Magray.
"Yet another body has been recovered from a river in
Kulgam, raising serious allegations of foul play. Local residents allege that
Imtiyaz Magray was picked up by the Army two days ago, and now mysteriously his
body has surfaced in the river”, she said on X.
This was, however, not the first time a local resident
was caught providing food and logistics to terrorists with cross-border
linkages.
