On Sunday, the body of Imtiaz Ahmad Magray, a 23-year-old laborer from Tangmarg, was recovered from the Vishaw Nallah in Adbal Wattoo, Kulgam district, South Kashmir.
Officials said that Imtiaz, son of Nazir Ahmad Magray, had been working as a laborer. Local residents discovered the body in the river and immediately informed the police. A police team arrived at the scene and took custody of the body for necessary legal procedures.
Authorities have stated that Imtiaz was an Over Ground Worker (OGW) and had links with militants. According to police sources, Imtiaz had confessed to knowing the location of a hideout where two Pakistani terrorists were reportedly present.
“Today morning, when a CASO operation was launched, Imtiaz went to the hideout near the riverbed. He was under close supervision, and a drone was used to film the operation. It is believed that he jumped into the river, possibly in an attempt to escape,” a police source was quoted as saying by local media.
Authorities said that Imtiaz had been “aware of a terrorist hideout that was uncovered by security forces in the Tangmarg forest on April 23.” They said that while locating another hideout, he took his own life by jumping into the river.
Local political leaders have raised concerns about the circumstances surrounding Imtiaz’s death.
PDP President Mehbooba Mufti tweeted, “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 also linked the recovery to the recent attack in Pahalgam, warning of attempts to disrupt peace and tourism in Kashmir, and urged for an impartial investigation into the incident.
Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah expressed his concerns as well, saying, “I am deeply worried by the recovery of Imtiyaz Ahmad Magray’s body from a stream in Kulgam. According to credible reports, Imtiyaz was picked up by security forces days ago, and now he has been returned to his family lifeless. This follows disturbing allegations about recent incidents in Kupwara and Baramulla, raising questions about a pattern of abuse.”
“Kashmiris cannot be treated as collateral damage in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack. Arbitrary detentions, custodial killings, and torture are violations of every democratic and legal principle. Counterterrorism is increasingly getting reflected as collective punishment,” Ruhullah added.
